Manu back for Newcastle game

We expected it but great to have confirmation he will be part of the squad. Hopefully he will get a run out for 15 or 20 mins and work him back to match fitness gradually. Hopefully this will provide a boost and spark to the backs who have been less than impressive recently.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/rugby-union/26352080

The backline looked better against LI. A little more precision and the impact of Manu off the bench should give us the edge in the backs. I liked the Youngs, Williams, Bowden, Goneva combination. Switching Goneva to the wing and replacing Thompstone with Manu on 50 minutes would be my choice. We certainly have missed the explosive pace and power of Manu this season.

Shame it didn't come a week or two earlier as he could have pushed for the bench slot against Wales. Great that he's finally back though. He'll have had his first proper break from rugby since 2010, so we just need to hope he's not lost any power.

Christ no. I'm hoping he gets to play for the rest oft he season to be available for the summer tour. Don't like rushing guys back no matter how much we miss them.

I'd like to see him take the summer off and get a proper pre season under his belt. Don't see the point in taking him to NZ

Does giving him two or three games against the best side in the world one year out from the world cup not have a point to it? Obviously he hasn't had a proper pre-season for a while, but he doesn't need a rest and a the NZ tour is hardly comparable to the Lions in terms of its impact on the following pre-season.

Surely he will tour. England will need their top players getting time toghow much he gets ragged through the season run in, butether, and frankly will also need every player they can get to avoid the usual shellacking they take there.
By this summer he will only have played 5 tests (1 for the lions, 2 as a replacement) in a year and a half due to his injuries. The presumed first choice midfield wont ever have started a test together.
(Assuming he doesnt get pulled in for the Italy game) and it will be a long time since they played club rugby together.

Frankly it would be nuts not to send him if hes fit. His season have been disrupted but hes had several breaks over the last few years for injury (and suspension)

Well it'll be a nice stroll against our backs anyway   

There's the AIs and the 6N next season for him to play with whomever emerges as the preferred 12. I'd like to see us send an experimental team down to NZ. Rest the Lions boys and give a few guys a chance to shine. I doubt our boys would triumph after a long season even with a fully fit 15, why risk knocking th team's confidence so close to the RWC?

Dude if they are going to get treated like an 18 year old barmaid by New Zealand with a full strength team what do you thinks going to happen if they send the saxons? Bear in mind the first test will already be missing half the team ...and they may have no fit props by then anyway.
The best teams play and train together regualarly ...chopping and changing will not build a style of play or partnerships. The best player swill have to learn how the all blacks play unless they are going to rely on France and refs to put them out of the world cup.
There may be some players who chosing to have minor surgery in the summer is the best option for if its clears them for the coming year but those who are actually fit simply have to go ...especially those who have missed a lot of rugby in the last year or two like Tuilagi. Its nuts that hes never started with Twelvetrees.

Yeah I agree with Peter...I wouldn't be looking to rest too many. I would go on an individual basis and whether we have reasonable replacements.

Some of our guys have played a lot of rugby...the likes of Wood and Robshaw, Launchbury etc are non stop on the pitch playing almost to exhaustion. If they look fresh come the summer then you take them...if they look shattered we look for alternatives...Attwood for Launchbury etc...

But I cant see Lancaster leaving many behind..aside from the finalists missing for the first test.

The problem is that we have so little international squad depth. How many locks, flankers, 8s, centres and 10s do we have with international experience? What happens if we have some injuries leading up to the RWC? We either bring in an experienced option to plug a gap or someone with no caps.

I don't want to send the Saxons I just want to see us try and build the squad before the RWC. NZ rotate their squad to develop a depth of quality options. We could use this summer like last summer to look at alternative options, not a weak squad obviously.

Corbisiero, Hartley, Wilson
Attwood, Slater
Johnson, Morgan, Kvesic
Care, Ford
Burrell, Daly
Nowell, Brown, May

Bench: Marler, Webber, Thomas, Kitchener, Fraser, Dickson, Burns, Tait.

Resting all the Lions other than Corbs who has missed most the season (again) and could do with actual game time, I'd take Parling along but the younger lock options need game time. Bit of squad management.