HOW great was it to see a de-mummified Manu Tuilagi tear it up at Welford Road again?
The 17 stone bruiser didn't have a single piece of strapping, tape or tuba-grip on those tree-trunk sized legs of his that have previously made him look like the Michelin Man.
Leicester Tigers look to have got wrecking-ball Tuilagi back to his best – and without the need of 10 rolls of physio tape to hold him together.
And it looks like that trip last season to a Samoan witch-doctor has done the job too.
With a year to go until the 2019 Japan World Cup England fans are daring to dream about Tuilagi terrorising the Land of the Rising Sun (on the pitch, not off it).
Red Rose boss Eddie Jones names a training squad for a Bristol mini-camp a week on Thursday – and Tuilagi has to be in it.
But Manu, if you are, please pack as much cotton wool as you can. Maybe even a stamped address envelope and head straight to Japan and rest up now.
England, and Jones, could do without another player being broken in training.
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DEAL OR NO DEAL?
PREMIERSHIP clubs voted no deal to the £275million investment offer on the table.
Tuesday's crunch board meeting produced a unanimous verdict as the clubs rightly decided to keep control of the league.
But is there likely to be any offer that will match the millions put forward by CVC, the ex Formula One owners?
The clubs seem confident, but hopefully they are being realistic with their value.
Which other top sports leagues around the world lose their biggest stars for huge chunks of a season to the international game?
When your most-marketable players like Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje, Billy Vunipola and Jack Nowell spend most of their season with England, perhaps the dosh for 51 per cent of the league was about right?
Something will have to give if Prem Rugby wants to keep investors keen – and that's either going to be taking a hit in the pocket or on the majority stake of the game.
TOP CLASS
THE PREMIERSHIP season is just two rounds old – and Saracens are looking like they have got the number one prize for trolling their own players in the bag.
To announce the first day of Saracens' new school the club spoke to their star players about their childhoods.
Incredibly, they found the ONLY known picture of man-of-steel Owen Farrell smiling.
As well as, another, of Jamie George, looking like a young Johnny Cash.
BOWLED OVER
ENGLAND'S losing record shows no signs of letting up.
Sporting history was made on Tuesday as the Rugby Union Writers' Club delivered another hammer-blow to the RFU.
Richmond's historic Old Deer Park was the setting for yet another defeat for Eddie Jones' men.
Although cricket-loving Jones couldn't make it, scrum coach Neal Hatley was sent down to oversee things for the Twickenham thumpers.
In true journo style, it went right to the deadline. . .the dreaded last ball.
The hacks were in pieces, hero Alex Lowe's hamstring was hanging off the bone.
The former chairman was hobbling and howling worse than Bath's England contingent after a a five-minute Red Rose training session.
But the hacks fought their way home with Chris Jones delivering the key golden run to send them over line to a memorable seven-wicket win.
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