Easter still has England Rugby future

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Nick Easter has been told he still has an outside chance of making Stuart Lancaster’s England Rugby team for next summer’s Rugby World Cup on home soil.

Easter was the last England man to lift the Six Nations Championship for the country and although he has been out of the national team picture ever since Lancaster took charge of the side after the country’s disastrous performance in the 2011 edition of the event in New Zealand, Easter still has the chance of securing his place for the event at the ripe old age of 37 years.

The former England man remains a key player in the Harlequins FC side and was instrumental in the team’s success in the Aviva Premiership in 2012. He remains a key part of the plans of boss Conor O’Shea for the foreseeable future as well.

However, the 47 cap player has had to swallow several snubs from the England Rugby squad following 2011. But things could change dramatically for the notorious bad boy of English rugby, according to his club boss.

Conor O’Shea stated that Lancaster hasn’t completely rules Easter out of the reckoning for a place in the Rugby World Cup squad. He added that the team is keeping a close watch on his development and form and if he manages to maintain this form and if his presence is a must in the side, then he will not be overlooked for selection.

O’Shea also mentioned that Easter fears he will not be able to maintain his form till then but he has no doubt he can and he will make the England Rugby squad for next summer’s extravaganza.

According to the Harlequins FC boss, Easter is extremely driven and ambitious and these qualities will make him a key part of the England team.

Flood loses place in England Rugby squad

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Toby Flood, the skipper of the Aviva Premiership Rugby Football Union club and the reigning champions the Leicester Tigers has become the only players from the champions to lose his place in the newly formed Elite Player Squad for the England Rugby Team as announced by Stuart Lancaster, the national team boss in London.

The 28 year old is expected to sever his ties with Leicester this summer and move to France for a much more lucrative payday and with the policy of England not picking any players playing rugby overseas, finds his place taken over by his former protégé at the Tigers George Ford, who will replace him in the Elite Player Squad as Lancaster starts planning for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

The England Rugby Team revealed that he had several meetings with Flood with the last couple of months as he tried to persuade him to change his mind about moving overseas and commit himself to England in order to be eligible for selection to the England team for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Lancaster revealed that he told Flood he would really love it if he stayed in England and played for England but admitted that the player had made a lifestyle choice and he has to respect his decision as well.

Elsewhere, all the other Leicester Tigers players including Geoff Parling, Manu Tuilagi, Tom and Ben Youngs as well as Dan Cole all kept their places in the Elite Player Squad, making them eligible for selection for the England Rugby Team.

The Tigers provide the bulk of the players for the England national team alongside the likes of Harlequins FC and Saracens FC and with the loss of Flood, England will face an uphill task in the competition where he has a lot of experience.