Six Nations news: Manu Tuilagi may quit England as player's knees 'filling up with blood'
Express Sport brings you the latest updates from the Six Nations ahead of what should be a cracking finale.
The Six Nations finale is almost upon us, and there is plenty to play for as Ireland look to wrap up back-to-back triumphs in the prestigious competition. They head into the final round of action as heavy favourites but England will be watching out closely.
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Ireland host Scotland in the middle fixture of the day at the Aviva Stadium, knowing that a win will do the job but a slip-up and England will have their chance. Steve Borthwick's men will need to claim a bonus try point away at France, which will be a very tough task of its own.
Meanwhile, there is a very nervy clash at the bottom of the table as Wales desperately look to avoid receiving the wooden spoon against Italy, who have enjoyed a strong campaign. Warren Gatland's side have lost every match so far, and there will be plenty of eyes on the Principality Stadium tomorrow afternoon.
Here, Express Sport runs you through the latest news from ahead of what is set to be a fascinating Six Nations finale...
Goodbye
That's all we've got time for tonight.
Thanks for joining us to follow the latest news from the Six Nations ahead of tomorrow's finale, with all three games set to take place within hours of each other.
We'll be back in the morning to guide you through what should be a rip-roaring day of action. Catch you then!
Wales out to avoid Italy 'embarrassment'
Aaron Wainwright has warned that Wales will be the laughing stock of the Six Nations if they lose to Italy in this weekend's last place decider.
"It would be embarrassing to have the wooden spoon," said Wainwright during Wales' captain's run earlier today.
"We can’t afford to go out tomorrow and lose. We need to win. I don’t think anything else is acceptable.
"Massive respect to the Italians for what they’ve done so far in the tournament, but we are definitely going out there and getting a win to end the campaign on a high."
Josh Adams lifts lid on gruesome injury
Wales wing Josh Adams has revealed that he was having his knees drained on a regular basis prior to the Six Nations because they kept filling up with blood.
Speaking to WalesOnline, Adams explained: "I struggled with my knees from playing with Cardiff coming into the campaign, which wasn't ideal.
"I wanted some more match minutes under my belt coming into camp. My knees kept filling up with blood so I was having them drained fairly regularly.
"Up to 50ml of blood every time, which was a bit of a hinderance. Thankfully, they have been a lot better as we've gone through the campaign."
England told France 'there for the taking'
Sir Clive Woodward believes that England will have every chance of beating France in this weekend's Six Nations finale as they look to beat Ireland to the title.
Writing in his column for the Daily Mail, Woodward said: "There can be no doubt France have some enormous forwards but they are there for the taking.
"England will certainly have to match that physicality to have a chance of success, particularly at the scrum. France’s scrum destroyed Wales at times but Ireland did well against them in round one.
"England’s scrum was good against Ireland. That should build plenty of confidence. Let’s not forget, England have a big old pack of their own."
James Haskell challenges England
Former England star James Haskell has demanded England prove a point away at France, to show their victory over Ireland wasn't a one-off.
He said, as quoted by The Rugby Paper: “There’s no point reaching those heights and failing. I think Borthers (Borthwick) is building something, we’ve got to have some face and hopefully the Ireland win will quell a few of the doubters.
“They were trying to get that performance out for quite a long time. They’ve been training like that and looking to play like that, it just hasn’t translated.
“They’ve got a performance they can build on now. We go into the weekend against France and I think there’s a lot of excitement around this team. Hopefully it will build and carry on.”
Tuilagi responds to retirement talk
Manu Tuilagi has refused to share his plans for next season ahead of what is likely to be his final display for England against France.
He has held discussions with Top 14 clubs Montpellier and Bayonne in a move that would deem him ineligible to play for England.
But when asked what his plans were for next season, he said: “The plan is to hopefully get on the pitch on Saturday. I don’t really know what I am doing tomorrow to be fair!
“For me representing England and getting opportunity is a blessing and I can’t wait. Every time I get to represent England it could be the last game.
“Every game could be your last game, so you have got to make the most of it and enjoy it.”
Tuilagi to deliver an emotional address to England squad
Manu Tuilagi is set to deliver an emotional speech to the England squad tonight ahead of his potential final international appearance.
Jamie George has revealed this, saying: "Manu will go down as one of the best centres to have ever played for England; I’m pretty confident to be able to say that.
“I don’t think anything’s sorted by any means about his future, I don’t know whether any decisions have been made. But if this is his last game for England, I’ll be pulling on him to speak about that in our captain’s meeting.
“Something that is really special for me is that he doesn’t say an awful lot, but what he does say is gold. The second he starts talking, people listen; it’s quiet, and more often than not, it’s absolute wisdom.”
Lawrence Dallaglio issues advice to England
Former England star Lawrence Dallaglio believes Steve Borthwick's men must harness the emotion if they want to come out on top against France.
In his column for the Standard, he said: "It seems incredible that England could go from such a poor performance against Scotland to one of the truly great Twickenham victories in just two weeks.
"There is a lot of belief in that team now after beating the Irish. They were not suddenly injected with new rugby DNA in that fortnight, but they flicked a switch mentally and emotionally that allowed them to deliver a performance to the level required to beat a fine side.
"Playing and winning top-level sport is not an exact science. You cannot go out and play your best game every week, but what you can do is understand what the formula is for winning, and how to get yourself emotionally and mentally into the right frame of mind to win wherever you are in the world."
Dylan Hartley claims 'no one likes' England
Ex-England captain Dylan Hartley has been speaking about his former side's current state of affairs in the Six Nations, and he issued a fiery warning.
He said: "Look, England are a proper rugby team. I'll keep saying it. No one likes us because we are a proper rugby team.
"Even the South Africans and the Kiwi's would acknowledge that because they know they are going to be in for a good game when England come to town. There is an expectation with England. We have a long, proud line of rugby history and we come out swinging when we need too."
The pressure is on
There will be plenty of nerves in Cardiff tomorrow as Wales host Italy desperate to avoid the Six Nations wooden spoon.
Wales must triumph if they want to avoid finishing last - which would be their first time at the bottom since 2003.
Italy will also be desperate to show they have what it takes to compete in the Six Nations after regularly finishing bottom in years gone by.
And Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada says the pressure is on both sides.
"A very difficult match awaits us. The pressure will be on both teams," Quesada told the Italian Rugby Federation's official website.
"Wales are hungry for points, and they will say goodbye to one of their greatest players of recent years - George North.
"In all, or almost all, of their (Six Nations) matches they had the opportunity to play on equal terms with their opponents for certain moments.
"In the second half against Scotland and in the first hour of the battles against England and France, so the defeats that have come are not really that bad."
Scotland need 'something special'
Gregor Townsend knows Scotland must do 'something special' against Ireland to win a first Triple Crown in over 30 years.
After beating Wales and England, Scotland will be desperate to beat the final 'home nation' and win the Triple Crown, something they haven't managed to do since 1990.
But Scotland's head coach knows they have a tough task at hand.
"We know how tough it's going to be," Townsend said. "They (Ireland) are one of the top two teams in the world and at home they've been virtually unbeatable the last few years so it's going to require something special from our players."
Steve Borthwick 'hopeful'
Steve Borthwick is 'hopeful' England star Manu Tuilagi remains in the country and continues his international career.
Tuilagi is in the squad ahead of what could be an emotional swansong for him against France.
But Borthwick said: “I’m hopeful that he’ll be staying in England. There are no plans confirmed as yet to my understanding.
“Manu adds huge amounts to this squad, he’s a player who impacts upon people and he impacts upon games, and I’m looking forward to seeing him impact upon this game on Saturday night.
“Ultimately, that’s up to Manu and the opportunities that present themselves within England. From my point of view, he knows I would want him to be in England; I want all our best players playing in England.”
England have reviewed last year's France horror show
England captain Jamie George has revealed the side have watched back footage of the record home loss to France last year as they look to right their wrongs this time out.
England were humiliated last year, losing 53-10 at Twickenham. But Steve Borthwick's men are doing their homework ahead of the match in France this year.
"We have looked at last year's game this week," George told BBC Sport.
"We would be stupid not too. It was one of the darkest days of my career and that was not what English rugby should be about.
"We were many percentages off and when you are that poor against a team like France you know you deserve to be beaten."
Good morning and welcome!
Morning everyone and welcome to our latest coverage ahead of the Six Nations finale this weekend.
It is set to be a cracker, and we can't wait for it. Stick with us throughout the day as we bring you the latest news from the Six Nations.
