Farrell loss is big blow, says Flood

TOBY Flood summed up English rugby’s disappointment over Andy Farrell’s decision to reject the chance to coach the national team full-time.

‘It will be a big loss,’ the leicester fly-half said after his near one-man demolition of archrivals Northampton in the Aviva Premiership on Saturday.

Flood showed he was back to an England standard by scoring 25 points to lead a leicester performance which had the look of potential champions.

But it was the vacant England coaching post which dominated his thoughts afterwards. His comments followed Farrell’s decision last week to remain at Saracens rather than join Stuart lancaster and Graham Rowntree full-time.

Even though England’s World Cup fly-half (below) was a virtual bystander during the Six Nations campaign — making only one substitute appearance — he was still impressed by the presence of Farrell — who was on a temporary release from Saracens.

He said: ‘Having played with Andy and seen how he coaches, he looks as though he has taken to it like a duck to water.

‘The way he inspires the guys and his ability to get the best out of people will be a big loss, but I guess the RFU have a couple of other coaches in their sights.’

Those sights look to be firmly focused on New Zealand’s World Cup-winning assistant coach Wayne Smith, who is presently working for Waikato Chiefs in the Super 15 tournament.

England officials hope to persuade Smith, a former Northampton coach, to join lancaster’s team before the summer tour to South Africa despite his commitments in New Zealand.

But Farrell’s decision has clearly dampened the euphoria around the England camp following a successful Six Nations.

Flood said: ‘It was one of those things that you thought those three (lancaster, Rowntree and Farrell) would come as a package. But obviously Andy felt it was not right in terms of his evolution as a coach.

‘It will be a shame not to have him there, but we still have Graham, who’s an outstanding coach, and Stuart who has run the team really well.’ Flood hopes to reclaim his England place in South Africa and judging by the way he orchestrated Northampton’s downfall he looks back to his best. Besides his accurate kicking of three conversions and three penalties from seven attempts, Flood’s attacking play must have impressed the watching Rowntree.

By the time Flood grabbed his second try in the 44th minute, leicester were 24-9 ahead following a first-half effort from Alesana Tuilagi.

leicester grabbed a bonus point when their other winger, Horacio Agulla, finished off in the 54th minute leaving a forlorn Northampton side to grab consolation scores from lee Dickson and Chris Ashton.

leicester have now lost only once in the Premiership since october and are on course for an eighth successive appearance in the Premiership final, having lifted themselves into second place, six points behind leaders Harlequins who they meet next Saturday at the Stoop.

‘If we can finish in the top two it will be icing on the cake, because that will stand us in good stead to get in the final,’ added Flood.

For Ashton, who joins Saracens in the summer, it was his first try since he scored in the fixture between these two teams last December.

‘It’s got a monkey off Chris’s back,’ conceded a disappointed Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder.

He also vowed to get his team ‘back on track’ for the crucial trip to Exeter next Sunday which could decide who finishes fourth behind Quins, leicester and Saracens in the play-offs.