Cockerill said of Tuilagi: “He won’t play this season. He’ll probably be fit in the early part of June ready for England’s World Cup preparations. He is improving, but improving slowly. Groins are probably the ­hardest things to deal with and get to the bottom of. I know that everyone would like it to be an exact science, but it’s not. He is a big, powerful guy. He is improving slowly but he’s not right yet.”