Toby Flood will start the most important club game of his life on Saturday at Twickenham convinced that his move down to Leicester last season has made him the man and the rugby player good enough to keep Jonny Wilkinson out of the England starting line up.
Flood, formerly Wilkinson’s understudy at Newcastle, joined Leicester at the start of last season and now finds himself as first choice stand off for his country, restricting Wilkinson to the bench for England’s last test match, the Six Nations defeat to France in Paris in March.
The 24-year-old will be Leicester’s chief playmaker next Saturday when the Tigers look to defend their Guinness Premiership title in the final against Saracens at Twickenham and admits that he has come off age since moving to Welford Road.
“I was 22 and fresh-faced when I arrived at Leicester having come from a place where the expectations were nowhere near as high,” Flood explains. “At Newcastle there were times when you could get away with being a little below par in a game, but not at Leicester because every game has an influence on the top of the table or is in the Heineken Cup.
“The Leicester culture is one of success. The high standards is the key, the will to win and the drive that is common with every player. Being an England player counts for absolutely nothing. You have to do it for Leicester, week in, week out. You can’t mess up because you’re letting all the boys down. What I’ve learned in game time at Leicester is that you don’t need to throw the miracle pass like I used to do. The chances are we’ll put ourselves in a position to score four or five phases later in any case. I’ve come to realise that I can have complete trust in all the players around me. I came to Leicester to win silverware and, once again, we’re in a chance of doing just that.”
Incredibly, this is Leicester’s sixth successive Premiership final, having won two (including last year against London Irish) and lost three, but for Flood, who ruptured his achilles in last year’s winning Heineken Cup semi final win at Cardiff, this is the biggest club game of his life.
“I can’t remember watching this final without Leicester playing in it,” he says. “Last year was difficult because I’d played in every game in the regular season and then had to watch from the sidelines in the play off semi and final, as well as the Heineken Cup final, which is much harder than playing because there’s nothing you can do to help. I collected a winners’ medal but it will mean much more to me if I can get a second having actually played in what is by some distance the biggest club game of my career.”
Saracens, who won at Welford Road a fortnight ago in the last fixture in the regular season to end Leicester’s long unbeaten home record, will prove to be tough opposition, especially after their three successive away wins at Northampton (twice) and Leicester, and the fact that they feel aggrieved over the continuing spat between themselves and the RFU over their Director of Rugby, Brendan Venter, who is banned for 14 weeks from any contact with his players on match days after being found guilty of making inappropriate comments and gestures to Leicester fans.
Flood missed that defeat, being rested with a slight knee niggle, but he will be back for the Twickenham showdown. “If it had been the final two weeks’ ago I would have played but it made more sense to rest me and get me back to full fitness for the final,” he explains. “Sarries will gain great confidence from beating us at our place but Leicester don’t tend to lose to the same team twice and this will serve as an inspiration to us all.
“Funnily enough I was looking at our position in the table and the remaining fixtures about five weeks ago and I thought to myself that we could do with a major kick up the backside before making the final. I believe that defeat by Saracens has done us a big favour.”
The following day Wilkinson is likely to start for England in Flood’s absence against the Barbarians but may have a fight on his hands to keep Flood out for the first test against Australia on June 12th.
“I’ve always looked up to Jonny and I always will,” says his former understudy who kicked all the 15 points in his side’s semi-final win over Bath. “Maybe two years ago I was a little daunted by the prospect of keeping Jonny out of the England side, but not any more. Now I see it as healthy competition which will improve us both. You can’t get better competition for your place than Jonny Wilkinson, can you, and that can only serve to improve us both as players.
“Certainly a lot has changed in my life. I no longer see being the place kicker, or the pivot in the backs line as pressure but as a challenge I’m willing to take on. Watching Jonny for so long, and now being immersed in the Leicester culture, has done that for me.
“Now I can’t wait for the final at Twickenham, and then a tour of Australia for the first time in my life. I’m up for the challenge, for sure.”
If Leicester are successful in defending their title next week then the ever dependable Flood is sure to play a major part in securing the English league title once again. And you can be sure that Wilkinson will be watching.
