The England centre Toby Flood revealed yesterday that he had played against France in Paris last Saturday despite ricking his back during the warm-up. "My back went into spasm after I hit a tackle bag being held by Ben Kay," said the Newcastle midfielder. "I was really struggling in the last 20 minutes because my movement was restricted and it became difficult to move around the pitch. I could hardly walk by the end of the game and I was not able to go to the post-match meal. It was a night when everyone had to stand up and be counted and it was a big team effort." England joined France and Ireland on four points, two behind the Six Nations leaders Wales after three games.