Yes, England did win the RBS 6 Nations. And yes, the last time they achieved such a feat, they went on to win the Rugby World Cup.
But even the most optimistic England fan knows this current crop is some way off the class of 2003.
As the Ireland performance highlighted, the midfield is definitely lacking some guile and creativity. Step up to the plate, Riki Flutey.
And last week, prior to their 51-18 spanking of Leeds Carnegie, Sport.co.uk spoke Twitter, injuries, scary bosses and Rugby (big shock) with London Wasps’ very own 31-year-old centre.
London Wasps host Leeds Carnegie this weekend. Do you think you have blown your chances of getting in the top six or is that still the minimum objective this season?
The last three games we’ve got are big for us. We need to win our next three games. It could possibly go down to the top seven going through to the Heineken Cup next year and if that’s the case, we need to be up there. We need to give ourselves a chance by playing good rugby and winning the next three games. We’re not far off. Even though we lost last week we played some good rugby and scored a couple of good tries. So we’re not far off from clicking and putting a decent score on another team. So it’s a big game this weekend at home to Leeds, our last home game at Adams Parks so we are really looking forward to it.
How have injuries to big players like yourself impacted the squad as a whole?
Yeah, towards the end of the season there have been a lot of injuries. At the moment we’re obviously trying to stay as positive as we can. For example, Seb Jewell was told 10 minutes before we were about to go out to play Harlequins that he was starting. I think it was his first start all season and he played really well. It’s the best thing for him, getting chucked in the deep end. From us senior guys that are in the team, we have to do as much as we can on and off the field to help these young guys through and I’m sure we’ll field a good team out against Leeds and put a good performance in.
So how do injuries affect you personally? They are obviously part and parcel of the nature of the game. Can you just accept that they are part of a rugby player’s career?
I’ve had quite a few injuries in my career and over the past couple of years especially with my shoulder operations and a few niggles. It does get you down. It’s the process, you have to get through it once you’ve had your injury and look forward to the light at the end of the tunnel which is getting back on the field. It can sometimes be a lonely place when you have a long term injury, because you’re not involved very much with the rugby stuff with all the other boys and at times you’re in working with the rehab specialist and your physios on your own so it can get quite lonely.
But then again, once you are getting closer and closer to stepping back out onto the training field the excitement kicks in and you look forward to getting back out there and playing the best rugby that you can. That’s my take on the injuries that I’ve had. It’s all about staying positive. And when you are at a place like Wasps, you’ve got the best guys around you. Great physios, great rehab specialists and awesome trainers so that gives you confidence as well. Being professional rugby players, we get to see the best of the best surgeons if we need surgery and that again gives you lots of confidence to know that you can get back to your best whatever injury it is, if it isn’t a career ending one.
How do you feel being back at Wasps after your time in France?
I’m really pleased. It was a tough time in France, I turned up there injured after the Lions tour. My shoulder wasn’t right and I needed an operation. That put me out for three months. But the biggest thing for me and my family was that we were very unsettled, because of the moving back and forth to get treatment over here from the England set-up and England medical team. I had my surgery over here and came back for Six Nations. It was just hard to fit in over there. I’m sure if anyone went through what I did they would feel the same, it’s just one of those things. I know that if I turned up there fresh and healthy and 100% that it would have been a different story. But coming back to Wasps has been fantastic for myself and my family. Coming back to a club we know and we loved so no regrets.
We’ve heard in the office that the Wasps boys give you a bit of stick about your obsession with Twitter. Are you a Twitter addict?
Ha ha! I’ve only been on it a couple of weeks but I think I am getting a little bit addicted to it. It’s one of those things where you grab your phone as soon as you wake up, you look at what other people are doing. But I’m enjoying it. I’m not letting it affect the way I do things and it’s not taking control of my life but it’s good to have on the side. I follow quite a lot of the boys around the world. My mates in New Zealand, so it’s good to see what banter they are giving each other and what they are up to and also here in the Aviva Premiership it’s good to see what my boys are up to in their spare time. But I need more followers!
Sport.co.uk will follow you, I promise! Who’s scarier: Shaun Edwards or Martin Johnson?
That’s a tough one! Shaun Edwards. He is a lot scarier. When he walks into our gym most mornings wearing shorts over the tops of his trousers and with his wife beaters on, and he puts on his boxing gloves and smashes the hell out of the boxing bag, it is quite scary!
Do you prefer playing 10 or 12?
I prefer playing 12. I played 9 and 10 most of my younger career but since I’ve been here at Wasps I’ve played mostly at 12 and achieved a lot of things since I’ve moved positions, from 10 to 12, with England and the British and Irish Lions so that’s the position I really enjoy. The more game time I get there the more I’ll develop.
And finally, how much are you looking forward to going back to New Zealand, your homeland, for the World Cup?
Hopefully, I can only control what I can control and play as well as I can over the next three games to give myself a chance to be in the squad. But if I am selected in that squad to go to New Zealand it will be amazing. Going home, playing for England, on home soil will be pretty special. I’ve got a lot of family, and a lot of friends and I know a lot of people back home that are wishing me well and hoping I do get in the squad and I can be down there.
Riki Flutey and teammates hosted an elite rugby training session at London Wasp's training ground. London Wasps RFC is one of a series of AVIVA Premiership Rugby clubs working with Gatorade to encourage players of all levels to stay ahead of the game and improve their performance. Sport.co.uk were put through their paces with a series of rugby coaching drills and offered hydration and sweat testing by a Gatorade Sports Science Institute scientist to highlight the effects of intensive training on the body. Gatorade is the official hydration partner of the AVIVA Premiership.