Flood - Give us time

Flood: Calling for patience

We want to make big strides forward but in the autumn they weren't as big as we wanted

Toby Flood
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Toby Flood has called for patience from England supporters, insisting that under Martin Johnson the players are "building something".

Any hopes of a new dawn under former captain Johnson's management have quickly disappeared following a dismal autumn campaign.

Only the Pacific Islanders were beaten at Twickenham as Tri-Nations trio Australia, South Africa and New Zealand all recorded comprehensive wins.

However, Flood - who started against the All Blacks on Saturday - believes wholesale changes to the team are not the answer.

Big strides

"We are building something," he told Sky Sports News. "It's a case of us working as hard as we possibly can.

"We want to make big strides forward but in the autumn they weren't as big as we wanted.

"We have got structures and patterns in place - we want time to build. There's going to be partnerships and people who interchange, but there are a core group of individuals who are young and desperate to succeed in the England team.

"They must be given time and opportunities in certain situations. There shouldn't be too much chopping and changing."

Elite squad

The Leicester fly-half points to the likes of Dylan Hartley and Ugo Monye as proof that there is talent coming through from the domestic game.

Johnson selected a 32-man elite player squad back in the summer and Flood feels that those players now need time to develop for the long-term future.

"The good thing now is we have got a 32-man squad, which allows us to be quite settled," he added.

"People like Dylan (Hartley) and Monners (Ugo Monye) came in and played some great stuff. There is some strength in depth in the England squad and those players."