Manu Tuilagi is free to represent England on their forthcoming tour of South Africa after being cleared of a dangerous tackle during last Saturday's Premiership final against Harlequins. The Leicester centre will now fly out on Wednesday evening with the rest of the squad after a Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel dismissed the citing charge against him.
Had he been found guilty, the 21-year-old Tuilagi would have risked missing the entire three-Test series against the Springboks, so the verdict is a relief for both player and management. The RFU panel agreed with the match referee Wayne Barnes that Tuilagi's first-minute tackle on Danny Care was not deserving of further punishment.
While Tuilagi did lift Care's legs above the horizontal, he did not drop or spear the scrum-half, who was also unhurt. Tuilagi is slightly fortunate, nevertheless, to have avoided a ban given the International Rugby Board's stern attitude towards tip tackles this season. He can now look forward to a place in England's matchday squad to face South Africa in the first Test in Durban on Saturday week.
England, however, will depart without their South African-born prop Matt Stevens who has been ruled out of the tour with a shoulder problem. Stevens damaged his rotator cuff during England's win over the Barbarians on Sunday and has been replaced in the squad by Gloucester's uncapped Rupert Harden, who had been due to attend a stag weekend in Berlin.
Stevens' withdrawal is a setback for England's head coach, Stuart Lancaster, who has already been deprived of two injured elite squad props, Sale's Henry Thomas and Bath's David Wilson. The 26-year-old Harden has been a regular starter for Gloucester but England will be running short of proven Test options if anything happens to their first-choice tight-head Dan Cole.
"It's really tough on Matt but he has been assessed by the medics and he wouldn't be able to train or play for some time," said Lancaster. "We wish him all the best but it's a great opportunity for Rupert."
Lancaster also has back-row issues ahead of the first Test. Tom Croft, Tom Wood, Calum Clark and Courtney Lawes are all sidelined while James Haskell, currently playing Super 15 rugby, is not due to arrive in South Africa until next week. Phil Dowson, who is recovering from a blow to the head at Twickenham, and Ben Morgan both missed training in Bagshot on Monday, with the Exeter Chiefs flanker Tom Johnson inching closer to a first cap.
Lee Mears, Tuilagi and Ugo Monye are also nursing minor knocks but Toby Flood trained fully and appears to have overcome the groin problem which kept him out of Leicester's grand final defeat.
