Eddie Jones: Manu Tuilagi can singlehandedly 'demolish' the All Blacks

Manu Tuilagi of England breaks clear of the All Blacks defence. Photo / Getty

There were a lot of caveats, particularly around his fitness, but after including him in a 37-man training squad, Eddie Jones, the England head coach, was unequivocal that centre Manu Tuilagi retains the unique capacity to singlehandedly "demolish" the All Blacks.

Just over two years out from the World Cup, every act Jones takes is geared towards overtaking New Zealand and making his side "bulletproof" come 2019. It is why his backroom staff were dispatched for fact-finding missions with Formula 1, bobsleigh and rugby league teams, while Jones himself spent time shadowing Tony Pulis at West Bromwich Albion as well as following stages 18 and 19 of the Tour de France in the Orica-Scott team car.

And it is why Tuilagi is included for the three-day training camp in Teddington next week despite being bedevilled by groin and knee problems over the past three years. The latest setback occurred in January when the Leicester centre ruptured knee ligaments that ruled him out for the season.

According to Jones the 26 year-old is a "a hell of a long way away from playing Test rugby", but after sharing a coffee together he is convinced that Tuialgi is on the right track. Considering he has played just 17 minutes under Jones and his last start at Twickenham came more than four years ago, that could rightly be considered an article of blind faith. Jones even says he may have to resort to prayer.

Yet in Jones' mind the faith is justified on the basis of a single performance nearly five years ago when Tuilagi ripped apart New Zealand in a 38-21 victory at Twickenham. "I do know he can demolish the All Blacks, so he's worth time, he's worth effort and worth a lot of care," Jones said. "We need these kinds of players.

"I am impressed by his dedication. He's had a tough time - the amount of injuries he's had would be enough to knock people away. I know the kid himself is working as hard as he can to get himself back on the field. These things happen, but at the moment everything looks pretty positive so we've just got to pray that this positivity keeps going and he has a period where he is injury-free and can show what he is capable of."

How Tuilagi would fit into a midfield equation containing four Lions in Owen Farrell, Jonathan Joseph, Ben Te'o and Elliot Daly remains to be seen. Other dilemmas loom large, too, not least whether Dylan Hartley should retain the captaincy after Jamie George started every Lions Test at hooker.

"He's like Captain Cook; if Captain Cook didn't find Australia, he wouldn't be a captain," Jones said. "Dylan knows it's not something that's he's anointed at - he's not a Lord or a Sir - it doesn't stick with him for life. It's a role that he plays, and when he plays it well he keeps the job."

Perhaps the most interesting development will be in the back row after the impressive performances of openside flankers Tom Curry and Sam Underhill in the 2-0 series win against Argentina. Both supplied plenty of turnovers at the breakdown and possess handling ability which would fit with Jones' ambition for England to evolve into a side that regularly scores off three phases or fewer.

"You listen to TV commentators and they all say you have to hang on to the ball and build phases, that's rugby 30 years ago, when I coached the Brumbies," Jones said. "You don't do that these days, it's the first three phases. And that's the ability to find the space, use the ball, keep the ball alive and be accurate in your skill work."