Tuilagi is one of only a handful of world-class players in England’s ranks and news that he looks “leaner and sharper” will be a boon for Leicester and England with the new season starting in nine days

“Manu is back to where he was and we are all looking for a big year from him for club as well as country, with the carrot of the Lions also to come,” said Cockerill. “Psychologically, Manu is in a good place. He has come back to us looking leaner and sharper. The injury pressure has been taken off him and he can just get stuck into training.

“We took all the right precautions with him and I don’t believe we rushed him back last season [after the groin injury]. But when you run into blokes with the velocity that Manu does, then it puts a strain on the body. When players have had a lengthy spell out injured, you often find that something else tends to happen. So he missed Australia but that has meant that he has had a clear summer and is good to go.”