Fitness fears for Flood
Leicester is waiting to learn the fate of Toby Flood after the fly-half injured his knee during the 27-19 loss at Northampton.
Flood appeared to twist his knee during the match and immediately went down in a great deal of pain. He could face a lengthy spell away from the game if scans go on to prove that there is damage to knee ligaments.
Boss Richard Cockerill said: "He has had a bang on his medial (knee ligaments). We are assessing that now and he will be seen by the specialists over the next 48 hours. It doesn't look ideal but we will have to see. Let's not get carried away."
Flood being absent from the team for any length of time is bound to have an impact on the way Leicester plays. This is because Flood is one of the most influential and charismatic members of the team.
A huge loss
Flood's kicking ability is something that has often kept Leicester in games. He has a slightly strange technique for kicking, which is similar to that of Jonny Wilkinson. However, there are no doubts that his kicks are effective whether he is going for a conversion, trying to score a penalty or kicking for territory.
Flood plays at fly-half, which is one of the more influential positions in any side. He can control any central area of the pitch and his passing is creative enough to set up a variety of different try scoring opportunities.
Leicester is very lucky in the respect that Jeremy Staunton can come into the side and take over with a minimum of fuss and no need to settle in. Staunton is a very experienced fly-half who has played for a variety of different Premiership clubs and scored points at all of his clubs.
Flood is a very determined young man. He's already said that he sees this autumn as his big chance to hold down an England place and all of his metal and determination will be tested now that it looks as though he may be forced to sit out a few months of rugby.
Betting advice
Staunton is good enough to come in and make sure there are no negative effects of Flood's absence. There's no reason to drastically change the way you think about Leicester. Back them if you think they will retain their title this season and back Staunton to get a lot of points.
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