Tom Croft is fast becoming a well known figure in the world of rugby, and might just hold the key to England's consistency problems
As straight-talking as he was tenacious, former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones was never one to mince his words. So when on the lead up to the 2003 World Cup Final, he cited England's no.6, Richard Hill, as "the glue holding the England team together", you took notice.
As straight-talking as he was tenacious, former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones was never one to mince his words. So when on the lead up to the 2003 World Cup Final, he cited England's no.6, Richard Hill, as "the glue holding the England team together", you took notice.
Forever etched in English Rugby's hall of fame, Hill was nothing less than a Lionheart on the pitch. His Herculean work-rate, burning desire and unfaltering resolve were all driven by an underlying fear of failure, making the Surrey born "silent assassin" a pivotal part of the England equation. Now, having undergone two knee reconstructions, the 36 year-old Hill finds himself settled comfortably in the upper tiers at Saracen's Vicarage Road, more corporate schmoozer than valiant foot soldier.
Relinquishing his beloved no.6 shirt back in 2004 was no easy feat for the "most over praised unsung hero", (as fellow World Cup winning compatriot Lawrence Dallaglio so aptly put it), yet with every departure come opportunity. It's the nature of the beast. But who to fill the rupture left behind was the question waiting to be answered.
Well, many applied for the job of next England hero, with somewhat varying success. More often than not the transition from the domestic to the international stage proved too precipitous an ascent. Consequently, players who were earmarked as the next big thing by a buoyant English rugby community were left to crumble on the pitch, leaving many a fan to become disinclined to believe the hyperbole surrounding up and coming talent. That was perhaps until now.
Tom Croft is the spawn of a new generation of English rugby, the modern mobile back row that is just as likely to be found in the centres as he is at the centre of mauls. At 6ft 6in and 17 stone, he defies every stereotype. And with the dexterity of a 12 and the pace of a 13, he is every coach's fantasy. Problems with up and coming talent? The proof is in the pudding.
Still only 24 years of age, the youngster's sporting CV reads like a player 10 years his senior. Six nations, Autumn internationals, and a gruelling British Lions tour in which he scored 2 tries on debut, have given the sprightly Croft a taste for the international game-and if his breathtakingly mature performances so far are anything to go by, it seems he liked it.
In what has been a whirlwind year for the Leicester blindside, Tom has managed to manoeuvre himself from relative unknown to dependable figure for both club and country, an impressive start that strikes an uncanny resemblance to his predecessor.
The ever reticent Croft is slowly but surely slipping into the Hill-shaped mould at no.6. Granted the two players differ in their physical makeup and styles of play, Hill putting strength over speed, but there are some striking similarities. They are both a bundle of contradictions, quiet and restrained in their personae off the pitch, explosive when on it. They enjoy the country lifestyle-Croft in Hampshire, Hill in Wiltshire- but when put in front of 80000 expectant fans at Twickenham, they couldn't seem more at home. They are the Jekyll and Hyde of the rugby world.
The paradoxical lives they lead, some may say, are what allow this breed of player to become truly great, the type who can leave the outside world at the gates of the ground and focus entirely on the game at hand. You only need look at Croft's stint in South Africa to understand this standard of professionalism. He is the exemplary competitor. who will run himself into the ground for his teammates, and then run some more. On the Lions tour he opted out of the third test due to utter exhaustion, which after his first two stirling performances was not suprising. Tom likes to set the benchmark.
Crofty, for all his distinction, is by no means the finished article. Sure enough he is the genuine one, but caution must be taken. England's progress is not only dependent on the special talent of one individual . After all, a team is only as good as the sum of its parts. Who Martin Johnson chooses in the other 14 positions will ultimately decide whether or not England can get the wind back in their sails and rescue themselves from the rugby doldrums. But I think it's fair to see that one thing is clear, England need their heroes, and in Tom Croft they have found another valiant foot-soldier.
