Manu Tuilagi absence takes the bite out of England’s attack | Gerard Meagher

Eddie Jones’s side managed to hold on for the win against Wales without the powerful centre but whether they can continue to do so in the Six Nations and beyond is uncertain

Not for the first time this Six Nations, Eddie Jones was left lamenting a lack of ruthlessness from his side following a nail-biting victory against Wales. It is a word he has used often of late – clinical being another – but so far England have not been able to display enough of a cutting edge in attack to suggest they will finish top of the pile. They remain in the hunt for the title after keeping Wales’s second‑half fightback at bay but it seems clear that improvements must be made if England are to overcome Ireland and France in their final two matches.

In seeking solutions the obvious answer is Manu Tuilagi. It cannot have helped that he was such a late withdrawal because Jones’s attacking gameplan would have had to be drastically redrawn but the wider point is how England struggle without him. Jones is eager to play down his absence – pointing to how England have had to cope for long spells of his tenure without the Sale centre – but that does not tell the whole story because one of the most successful aspects of the 2019 World Cup campaign was how the backroom staff worked wonders to keep Tuilagi in prime condition throughout.