Tuilagi suffers broken cheekbone

England and Leicester centre Manu Tuilagi is set to be out of action for the next six weeks after breaking a cheekbone.

Leicester yesterday confirmed Tuilagi’s anticipated length of absence, which will see him miss a run of key games for the Aviva Premiership strugglers.

Tuilagi returned to club action after his World Cup involvement in New Zealand in last Friday’s 40-14 home LV= Cup victory over Gloucester and scored a try in an impressive performance before being substituted after colliding with Scotland hooker Scott Lawson.

Leicester director of rugby Richard Cockerill said yesterday: “Manu suffered a broken cheekbone after a clash of heads in the Gloucester game and we’ll be without him for about six weeks.”

Cockerill has challenged his fringe players to rise to the challenge of propelling the team up the table. The Tigers head into tonight’s Aviva Premiership clash away to Sale Sharks in an unfamiliar 11th place, after just one win in six games.

Cockerill added: “We’re having a terrible run of luck, especially with Mathew Tait’s groin injury and Billy Twelvetrees out with an ankle injury. But we knew we would need the whole squad to front up if we were going to push on this season. Matt Smith has been playing really well and Horacio Agulla came back from the World Cup and fitted right back in last week.

“We now have all the Test players back and we’ve been working hard to integrate them.”