He's Back! - TRU Exclusive with Tom Croft

Injuries, breaks and strains are part-and-parcel of any professional rugby player’s career; however, for Tom Croft injuries have dominated proceedings for him over the last couple of years.

The dynamic back-row forward burst on to the international stage in 2008 when he made his debut ion a historic 6 Nations victory over France in Paris, before greatly impressing in the British and Irish Lions’ 2009 tour of South Africa.

After being called up as a replacement, Croft excelled as a starter in the first two tests and from the bench in the third, leading to a nomination for the 2009 IRB Player of the Year.

However, disaster struck for Tom this time last year, when in Leicester’s season opener against Worcester in September, he suffered a season-ending cruciate ligament injury.

As a result, the Leicester flanker had to endure all of last season from the side-lines and watch on as the Midlands side made their way through to the play-offs but fell, in the most dramatic of fashions, to the eventual winners Northampton at Franklin’s Gardens.

However, a new year, a new season and a new Tom Croft?

Tom’s injury woes are now well behind him and after a summer of pre-season training and rehabilitation the giant forward is ready for his return to Premiership action, as he insists he is feeling “better than ever!”

For the first time in ten years Leicester didn’t feature in Twickenham’s showpiece final last season and Croft and his band of Tigers are endeavouring last year’s slip-up not to repeat itself.

Talking Rugby Union’s Austin Halewood spoke to Tom ahead of the new season about both the club’s and his own ambitions and the difficulties of being injured last season.  

After a long and no-doubt incredibly tough pre-season, Tom reflected on the summer months in positive spirits:

“It’s been really good, thanks,” Tom began, “I think it’s the first full pre-season I have probably done for about six or seven years; it was probably a little bit easier when I was 21 or 22, but, yeah, it’s been really good.

“The new boys have been drip-fed back into the system and it’s gone very well. We are in a good place and everyone is now looking forward to hopefully doing well in the league.”

Firstly, looking back on the disappointment of last season and his injuries, Tom admitted that their entire campaign, for him, was “obviously very frustrating.

“You sit up in the stands watching the boys win, watching the boys lose and you can’t really have any effect of the bearing upon it.

“It is, at times, very frustrating but having done my neck the year before that I am kind of used to being injured and that’s when you’ve got to learn to get over that as quick as you can in terms of rehab and as and when you can be a help towards the team you do it.

“So, yeah, it is highly annoying and frustrating but you have to except at times that this is a contact sport and you’re going to pick up and odd knock or two.”

The Tigers fell 21-20 to rivals Northampton at Franklin’s Gardens in the play-off semi-final, in the most dramatic fashion last season. A late surge well within the final ten minutes of the game saw flanker Tom Wood cross the whitewash for the Saints and seal a historic victory.

But for a club to come so close to a final spot a Twickenham, just one point away, particularly a club with the immense history and reputation of Leicester, how do they just pick up their things and motivate themselves to carry on and prepare for the next season?

“Yeah, it was very annoying at the end of last season. It was one of those games that the majority of us have all tried to wipe from our minds because it was a very gutting game to lose in the last minute.

“It’s the first time we’d not made a final for ten years and so it was a really tough one to take and follow on from.

“However, it does take that monkey off the back of the boys, so we can now go into this season just focusing on playing and not having to worry about not making a final.

“But a few new boys have come in, a few new coaches and training has been going well before we just begin trying to build game after game.”

Looking to the squad itself, the Tigers have added to both their backs and forwards in a number of ways. Starting up front and the headline name is World Cup winner Brad Thorn.

The 39-year-old joins the Tigers from the Highlanders, as he hopes to add a vast amount of experience to the side from both the southern hemisphere and his time in the Heineken Cup and Pro 12 with Leinster.

“Brad joined us about four days before the actual Premiership season starts, so I guess that is the bonus of being 39-years-old and having been there and done that, but we will let him have that one,” Croft joked.

“The boys have adapted to the culture straight away and everyone has sort of worked hard, no matter what it is. Whether it’s a Cockers Tuesday morning scrum session in the rain, or whatever, everyone has just got stuck in.”

However, the headline move that surrounded the Tigers last year was news of Toby Flood’s departure to France and the resulting arrival of England fly-half Freddie Burns from Gloucester.

Although Flood has been the Tiger’s central figure in the backs and captain on many occasions, Croft made clear it was not about replacing Toby but letting Freddie play his own game.

“It’s not really about filling someone else’s shoes,” Tom began, “but for Freddie it is all about setting his own standards as a Tigers player.

“We have Owen Williams there as well so, obviously, you have two relatively young number tens but both are very exciting.

“If these guys both play well for Leicester then things will certainly open up for them going forward with the club and then country. So really we are blessed to have two tens like that in terms of their age.

“Freddie has just come to the club but he’ll boss the forwards around well and already they are all responding well to him which is obviously the best situation you could ask for. He’s done really well so far.”

Finally, Tom mentioned his England ambitions are still very much alive for this coming season. With 36 caps for his country already, Tom has featured heavily in the squad over the last six years; however, after missing all of last season the flanker is chomping at the bit to get back into the white shirt.

After missing the three-nil tour defeat of New Zealand, Tom was keen to emphasise the positives from the tour.

“The first two Tests were very close and we showed we could compete with them; the last one got away from us a little bit but I think that was the result of the end of a long and hard season for most of the guys.

“It is really tough and we may have slipped a bit mentally in that last game, but I think the tour shows that New Zealand aren’t quite the force that they once were and then England and other countries now do have the measure of them.

“It is just obviously you have to be switched on for that full 80 minutes because if you give the Kiwis a chance they will take advantage and make you pay.

“Personally I’ve been down with the squad for a catch-up in August but in all honesty for me I think it’s all about trying to get back into the swing of playing and playing well for Leicester.

“My first challenge will be to get back into that number six shirt but whatever will happen after that will happen, but as I say, that’s what I’m focussing on.”