Toulon and England
fly-half Jonny Wilkinson is relishing the prospect of
playing alongside Brive's Riki Flutey when the pair
team up for the first time on the international stage this
weekend.
A combination of
injuries (to both players) has so far prevented them pulling
on the England shirt in the same line-up, but all that is
set to change at the weekend when Martin Johnson's outfit
take on Italy in Rome.
The England manager had
hoped their partnership would begin in last Saturday's 30-17
win over of Wales, but a training ground injury led to
Flutey pulling out after initially being named in the
starting XV.
"I enjoyed watching him
with the Lions and England last year. Having watched him in
training he is incredibly energetic and he's buzzing all the
time," said Wilkinson of Flutey. "He is a guy that also has
a switch that wants to get loose and play. I have had a few
experiences with him in training weeks with England just
seeing what he is about.
"He is incredibly
energetic - very, very vocal and cares about every little
thing. He likes to get loose and play as well"
In that regard it would
seem that Flutey and Wilkinson share the same philosophy of
self-improvement and attention to detail, and the latter is
hoping it will help to recreate the sort of relationship he
has previously enjoyed with England No 12s.
"My experience has
always been with the likes of Mike Catt and Will Greenwood.
Will was a very, very good speaking guy and had a huge
amount of intelligence and direction. As a 12 he was a great
communicator like Riki. His vision of the game is very
clear. Riki is an out and out threat at 12," added
Wilkinson.
"I can see a bit of
'Catty' in him, in terms of his vision of the game, which is
very clear," he said. "When you are a bit wider in the 12
position you have to have a bit more time away from where
the scrum-half is passing the ball to scan the field and see
what is going on. As a fly-half it's a massive thing to have
all those calls coming in so you know about your options and
your decisions are better informed.
"The biggest goal this
weekend for us is to play with the ball. It is a balance,
but seeing guys get the ball in the right areas is key for
me," explained Wilkinson.
Flutey is similarly
effusive about the upcoming Italian clash, especially after
missing out on the Wales win.
"I would like to do
something special for England," he said this week as he
looked ahead to the Rome encounter. "As long as the guys
inside and out of me understand what we are trying to
achieve, and their roles and responsibilities, then it
creates something for someone else. There is huge emphasis
in this squad about having freedom and less structure," he
added.
Flutey was the joint
leading scorer in last season's Six Nations, and is hoping
to reignite his international career after being sidelined
for much of his debut season in France with a shoulder
injury he picked up while playing for the British and Irish
Lions in the summer.
In addition to lining
up with with fellow French exile Wilkinson, Flutey is also
excited about his centre partnership with Mathew Tait. "He
is obviously a fantastic player. He has got all the skills
in the world - he has got pace and I am looking forward to
getting out there. Hopefully we can create a few
opportunities for each other to let our talent shine," said
Flutey.
"Combinations are
everything. We have spoken about the little things we needed
to do and making sure we are on the same wavelength the
whole time on the field. If I am calling something he knows
his role and responsibility," added the 30-year-old.
England starting XV: D Armitage (London Irish); M
Cueto (Sale Sharks), M Tait (Sale Sharks),
R Flutey
(Brive), U Monye (Harlequins);
J Wilkinson
(Toulon), D Care (Harlequins); T Payne (Wasps), D
Hartley (Northampton), D Cole (Leicester Tigers), S Shaw (Wasps), S
Borthwick (Saracens, capt),
J Haskell (Stade
Francais), L Moody (Leicester), N Easter
(Harlequins).
Italy starting XV:
