Croft: I’d love to be playing in new Tigers
IT IS four years since Tom Croft retired after spending 12 seasons with Leicester, winning 40 England caps and going on two Lions tours.
For the first time since then he wishes he was still playing, buoyed by the resurgence of the Tigers and excited about England’s new look.
Croft, who was forced to retire having just turned 32 after consulting a specialist about a neck injury, is a regular at Welford Road where Leicester are back on the trail of the title eight years after they last won it when Croft was part of their back row.
“It is good to see Leicester back at he top of the table, but we never get ahead of ourselves,” said Croft. “The club went through a horrible few years after losing the semifinal (to Northampton) in 2014 and I got the impression that some people enjoyed seeing us at the bottom of the table.
“The club was forced to reflect and make some big changes. I suppose they became stuck in the same vein because of success, but coaches came and went, board members resigned, players disappeared
and a gradual downturn gathered speed.
“We lost some big characters and the foundations of the club needed a health check, but when Steve Borthwick arrived last year he brought in his own way of doing things. He has been fantastic, bringing in new players and getting everyone to buy into the same thing.
“You can now see some of the traits that were evident during my time there and when Martin Johnson was captain. When I watched the late victory over Saracens this month, it reminded me of the 2008 semi-final at Gloucester when Andy Goode kicked a late drop-goal and we won by a point.
“We were always confident we would win if we were within striking distance at the end, trusting our systems rather than forcing things, and that is what happened
against Saracens from a driving lineout in the last play of the game. Steve will not let the players rest on their laurels and they have to keep evolving while continuing to find ways of winning.”
Winning was not something England did much of during this year’s Six Nations when they slumped from first to fifth, but Croft believes the infusion of fresh blood in the squad, a reward for club form, will make a difference.
“It is a really positive step and makes for an exciting time for England,” he said. “The door seemed locked to new players for a period of time and you could see why given the success they had in the World Cup and the following year.
“When I came through the system, playing well for your club meant the door opened for you, but someone like Sam Simmonds did not have that opportunity until this season.
“The likes of Marcus Smith and Freddie Steward, bold young players, have also been given an opportunity because of their form in the Premiership and I am hoping the Autumn Internationals will be different to last year when they were often little more than kick tennis. I am a bit baffled George Ford was left out because he has been playing so well, but it is fantastic for Leicester.”
One debate ahead of England’s opener against Tonga at Twickenham on Saturday is whether Smith and captain Owen Farrell, a strong character with an iron will, will be able to form an effective partnership. Smith has made his name at Harlequins by playing what he sees and Farrell, a 10 by preference, is never slow to share his opinion. “I think they will go well together,” said Croft. “Smith is someone who has shown he can stand on his own two feet and having Farrell (below) outside him will offer two sides of an attack and provide an experienced head. “The key to the autumn campaign for me is not treating Tonga as an experiment, loading the side with young players only to leave them out for Australia
the following week. They need to have a mix of the old and the new and give the players time to grow together.
“Marcus Smith can be an exciting player for England but the worst thing for him would be to start against Tonga and then be dropped. England cannot afford to take Tonga lightly. They did that to Japan in 2018 and were losing at half-time, nearly paying for it.
“Every game has to be treated in the same way because, less than two years out from the World Cup, it is all about building
momentum. England finished fifth in last season’s Six Nations and have no right to think they are world beaters.”
Croft is interested to see how England will line up in the back row with World Cup finalists
Tom Curry and Sam Underhill joined by
Alex Dombrandt, Simmonds, Callum Chick, Lewis Ludlam and George Martin while Courtney Lawes is an option on the blindside.
“There is a bit more flexibility in the back row now and I hope Simmonds and Dombrandt can grow into their positions,” said Croft. “I would love to be involved with Leicester and England now because there is so much talent around.”
Croft now works for a housebuilding company in the Midlands and has no desire to become involved in the game again, even as a pundit, content to travel to Welford Road every couple of weeks to cheer on his former club.
“I enjoy talking about rugby, but punditry has never appealed to me because you have to be on the ball,” he said. “I enjoy watching a game with a pint in my hand. I had a long career as a player and it meant being away from my family every weekend.
“Spending every other weekend watching Tigers I can get away with, but any more than that would be too much. I am enjoying watching the attacking side of the game in the Premiership grow and English rugby looks to be in a good place.”
BT Sport is the home of Gallagher Premiership Rugby. Today Harlequins v Saracens is live on BT Sport 1 from 2pm.