AFTER the ‘Blunder Down Under’ the inevitable question: Toby or not Toby? Or to put it another way: Do England drop fly-half Flood and revert to Jonny Wilkinson for this weekend’s return to the scene of his World Cup-winning…

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AFTER the ‘Blunder Down Under’ the inevitable question: Toby or not Toby?

Or to put it another way: Do England drop fly-half Flood and revert to Jonny Wilkinson for this weekend’s return to the scene of his World Cup-winning drop goal?

The case for Wilko’s return is built around England’s lack of control at half-back during Saturday’s 27-17 defeat to Australia in Perth.

The tourists’ scrum was so dominant that they became the first team ever to be awarded two penalty tries in a Test match between two major nations.

Yet Flood and scrum-half Danny Care were unable to convert possession into opportunity outside them.

The contrast with opposite numbers Luke Burgess and Quade Cooper, who feasted royally off scraps, was stark.

As a result there are calls for Wilkinson to return for the Sydney Test. A week ago he was seen as the problem, now all of a sudden he’s the solution.

So it is too often with England. They lose and they drop players. They lose again and those same players return.


If Flood was good enough to displace Wilkinson last week then he should be told he still is this week.

Wilko has loomed large over all English outside-halves for a decade. Rightly so, for he has been a world beater. But the flip side of that has been a total lack of confidence in his rivals for the 10 shirt.

This needs to change. And it can by Johnson backing Flood now.

Having decided Wilko was holding back England’s creative play prior to the first Test, the manager should not bring him back at the first opportunity.

I would not have dropped Jonny in the first place. He has been on fire for Toulon all season and was let down by those around him on England duty in the Six Nations.

But England did, they made that call.

So now they need to show a bit of backbone. If they don’t then how will Flood ever feel he has their confidence? How will he grow as a team leader?

By all means change Care for Ben Youngs, who finished the domestic season as the form No.9 in English rugby and should have started last week anyway.

But leave Flood at 10.

England need to know whether he is the real deal ahead of next year’s World Cup. They won’t find out unless he gets a fair run at it.

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