Premiership semi-final: Leicester Tigers v Sale Sharks
Venue: Mattioli Woods Welford Road Date: Saturday 7 June Kick-off: 15:30 BST
Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC Radio Leicester and BBC Radio Manchester
Before Saturday's Premiership semi-final between the two teams, Sale centre Rekeiti Ma'asi-White is keen to clear something up.
It's true that as an 11-year-old, his uncle gave him a Leicester shirt. But to say he was a Tigers fan isn't quite right.
Because a young Ma'asi-White was more interested in the number 12 on the back, than the badge on the front.
"I was a big fan of Manu," he says. "I only supported Leicester because of Manu really.
"He has the same kind of background – he is of Samoan descent, I am half Tongan-half English,
"I aspired to be like him and achieve what did he did. I was in the forwards at that age. Thankfully I progressed!"
It wasn't just Tuilagi. Former All Black midfielders Malakai Fekitoa and Ma'a Nonu were also inspirations.
But Tuilagi was the example Ma'asi-White had seen closest up.
Ma'asi-White's father Viliami, who represented Tonga at 2003 Rugby World Cup, played with Manu's brother Anitelea at Leeds in the latter stages of his career. The two families bonded.
"Manu used to come round when we lived in Leeds for a little session together of food and stuff," says Ma'asi-White.
"I was quite young at the time, and didn't realise who everyone was, I didn't know how cool it was until I was a bit older."
When Wasps went bust in 2022, Ma'asi-White and fellow academy prospect Asher Opoku-Fordjour were signed up by Sale. Tuilagi had left Leicester for the north west two years previously.
"He told me I used to look like a little rat!" remembers Ma'asi-White of their reunion and shared memories of backyard get-togethers more than a decade previously.
"I learned quite a bit from him though after that."
Viliami is still his primary teacher though.
Having played into his forties, Vili is now coaching, steering Oundle to the fourth tier this season.
Rekeiti though is an impressive side project.
Logging in from his Peterborough home, Viliami will watch footage of every Sale training session.
The morning before every game, Rekeiti gets a call with a checklist of things to focus on. After, he will get another, reviewing whether he has hit those targets.
"It is technical, mental, everything," says Ma'asi-White.
"He will say, 'there is still more in you, you are not running hard enough, you need to tackle harder.'
"And I love that because it pushes me to become a better player."
Ma'asi-White's improvement has been steep and stark.
The 22-year-old, who started the season on loan at Championship side Caldy, only made his first start of the season for Sale in January.
Tasked with thumping over the gainline against Toulon, he helped the Sharks to a 33-7 win and, with George Ford and Rob du Preez pulling the strings at 10 and 13, the 12 shirt has been his ever since.
Ma'asi-White has scored in each of Sale's last four games, showing he can find holes, as well as break down doors.
He was called into the England senior squad for the first time last month.
If his freight-train physicality and deceptively fleet feet do for Leicester on Saturday, comparisons with his old idol Tuilagi and the clamour for his inclusion in England's summer tour to Argentina will only grow.
Opposite him at Welford Road will be a familiar face. He and Joe Woodward were England's under-20's centre partnership for a couple of years.
"He is a very good distributor, good link player, a ball carrier and he has got that kicking game too - a triple threat really," Ma'asi-White says of his former team-mate.
"I think we worked quite well together, we had some good times."
Only one will be celebrating on Saturday though.
Woodward and Leicester won at Welford Road last month, but Sale, 10 points up with half an hour to go, were left ruing indiscipline that let the hosts back into that game.
"There has been a lot of talk about us not being an 80-minutes team," says Ma'asi-White.
"We let them in the game in that second half so there is a big emphasis on discipline going into this weekend and to try and minimise that penalty count and use the scrum and line out to give us that advantage across the full game."
If they do, a Premiership final awaits for Sale.
And, for Ma'asi-White, the possibility of facing the Pumas with England will grow.
"Going down to Pennyhill Park for that two-day camp, it was exciting, to see all these big-time players was special," he says.
"I went with the idea that I would just give it everything. In the taxi home, I was just spent, I had no energy left.
"I have to take it step by step and do my best here, but going to Argentina is the plan - that is my target."
So far this season, those have worked out just fine.
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