After 15 months watching from the sidelines Manu Tuilagi is grateful for the smallest of mercies. There may have been a time when a midweek training session on a damp day in Bath would not have excited him massively but the Leicester centre has a different perspective on his sporting life nowadays. “Every time I’m on the field I’m smiling,” he says, visibly relishing his return to the England international fold.
The last time Tuilagi featured in a Test for England was in New Zealand in June 2014 when Stuart Lancaster was in charge, a home World Cup tournament was still more than a year away and  Eddie Jones was out of sight and mind in Japan.
Little did anyone know the groin injury Tuilagi sustained at the start of the 2014-15 domestic season would take so long to heal, nor that England would be under new management by the time he returned. Now he is back and in with a good chance of featuring on the bench against Wales in the Six Nations showdown at Twickenham a week on Saturday. He will be back with Leicester to prepare to play against Exeter Chiefs at Welford Road on Sunday, potentially his sixth game since returning to the fray. If all goes well it may be hard for Jones to resist including him in his 23.
The intervening period, though, has not been easy. Leaving aside the much?publicised late?night taxi episode in Leicester which resulted in an assault conviction and prompted Lancaster not to consider the centre for the World Cup, the injury alone was difficult to deal with.
“It can get quite tough if you’re out and you know you’re going to be out for quite a long time,” Tuilagi says.
“Sometimes we take it for granted being a rugby player and doing what we love doing. Going down to Tigers, doing corporate stuff and then watching the game … it is not what you want. I watched the World Cup and felt for the boys. We had a good chance, a fantastic team, so it was definitely disappointing. It was tough watching the boys, especially towards the end.”
At times even sleeping was impossible. “It was very painful when I did it,” he says. “You can’t really move and even when you’re in a deep sleep you wake up if you move it a little bit.
“But that’s rugby; sometimes you’re going to get injured. You just have to get on with it and hope you’ll get better.
“I just kept thinking about when I was going to get back playing again. I tried to come back three times but it was too early. I kept thinking: ‘There’s going to be light at the end of the tunnel’ and it came in the end, thank God.”
In Tuilagi’s case he was also helped by the support of his family, who travelled from Samoa for Christmas but stayed on afterwards, as well as his club. His teammate Mathew Tait had endured a similar injury and did his best to guide him through his recovery period. Tuilagi also had several offers from rival clubs to weigh up but decided to stay put. “For me, if you are happy where you are there is no point changing,” he says. “Tigers also helped me out a lot so you have got to show your loyalty.”
What happens next will be fascinating. While Jones has released 11 players back to their clubs, the majority are simply short of rugby and need a run. Selection for Wales is unlikely to deviate much from the line-up who beat Ireland 21-10 but Jones has already suggested that 20 minutes of Tuilagi off the bench might go a long way.
The 24-year-old, who has scored 11 tries in 25 England appearances, is not bothered what shirt number he wears when he does return. “Eddie has said he wants me to play 12 and I’ve had a chat with him about it. I’ve played 12 before … as long as you understand the game plan you don’t need to worry about what position you’re in.”
Fitness-wise, though, he is now confident the darkest days are behind him. “I feel good. Touch wood it will stay that way,” he says. “Of course you miss playing at Twickenham. It’s the home of rugby but I don’t really think about the past too much. It’s a waste of energy. If you do think about it you get down again. If you think about the future it’s more exciting.”
The big man’s opponents may well be feeling slightly differently.