ENGLAND'S PROSPECTS of ending their Six Nations season on a positive note are being undermined by serious unrest at one of the country's most prominent clubs. This should be one of the most exciting periods of Toby Flood's short career but, in common with several Newcastle players, the 22-year-old centre's preparations for Saturday's game with Ireland have been disrupted by the sacking of John Fletcher as director of rugby. "It has probably been one of the worst weeks of my life," Flood said yesterday.
All the Falcons' representatives in the national squad are understood to have taken the news hard and Flood, who has been under Fletcher's supervision since his schooldays, is particularly upset. As if losing to Scotland and learning of his friend and clubmate Jonny Wilkinson's removal from the starting XV were not bad enough, he is perturbed that Newcastle chose to part company with Fletcher and the forwards coach Peter Walton and opted to call a squad meeting while the club's England players were away.
"To lose to Scotland and then to find out that the guy I've played rugby for since I was 11 years old has been removed from the club is just devastating," Flood said. "I was very upset and so are a lot of guys at the club. There's a huge amount of anger and we're all quite worried about what's going on.
"I think they've thought: 'Let's get this news out while the England guys are away.' Without wishing to sound arrogant we have some power and, from what the boys have suggested, it could have turned quite nasty if we'd been there."
The murky developments on Tyneside could scarcely have come at a worse time for Flood, whose cosy on-field relationship with Wilkinson has also been rudely interrupted by the selection of Wasps' Danny Cipriani at outhalf against the Irish. Flood and Cipriani have never started together and the former, suddenly the senior man in a callow 9-10-12 triumvirate, is uneasy at the way Wilkinson has had to carry the can as the only change to the team beaten at Murrayfield.
"Jonny's been one of the top players in England. It was said his form has been inconsistent but, to be honest, you could say that about the whole team. Things hadn't gone well and people were worried about whose head was going to roll. I thought I could have been one of them. I don't know if it's a good thing to be spurred on by but everyone realises if Jonny's been dropped then they could be next."
Another complication surfaced yesterday which may further encourage Irish hopes of a fifth successive win over England. Flood needs an operation to remove floating cartilage from his right knee and cannot take over as goal-kicker if Cipriani suffers first-day nerves. Flood also experiences sporadic discomfort when he kicks out of hand and, although he played a full part in training, England's kicking options are reduced.
ITALY (v Scotland): A Marcato; K Robertson, G Canale, Mirco Bergamasco, E Galon; A Masi, S Picone; A Lo Cicero, L Ghiraldini, M Castrogiovanni, C Del Fava, M Bortolami, J Sole, A Zanni, S Parisse. Replacements: F Ongaro , C Nieto, S Perugini, J Erasmus , P Travagli, E Patrizio, A Sgarbi.
