The England manager, Martin Johnson, is facing an anxious wait with the Guinness Premiership and Heineken Cup reaching their climax as he tries to plan his team's summer Test series against Argentina knowing he could lose players both to injury and to the British and Irish Lions.
Leicester's fly-half Toby Flood has already been ruled out for six months after damaging his achilles in the Tigers' Heineken Cup semi-final victory over Cardiff Blues last weekend. Meanwhile outstanding performances in this weekend's Premiership semi-finals could propel the Leicester flanker Tom Croft and Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care closer to Lions selection.
The Lions coach, Ian McGeechan, is seeking a replacement for the injured Ireland scrum-half Tomas O'Leary and potentially Munster's Alan Quinlan, who faces a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday after being cited for alleged eye-gouging. About 20 potential England tourists will be in action on Sunday as Leicester face Bath in the first Premiership semi-final, with Harlequins hosting London Irish in the late kick-off.
"It does affect your plans but guys get injured and you have to be aware of that and know who is next in line and what you are going to do," said Johnson, who will name his squad on 19 May, after the Premiership final. "We have also got this double-jeopardy where, if other guys get injured, we could lose players to the Lions. I want that to happen to guys if they can get that experience. The best thing our guys can do is to play some tough rugby with England against Argentina and, if they are called up, they are ready to go."
Flood finished the Six Nations as England's first-choice fly-half and his absence could open the door for Danny Cipriani to make his return to the Test scene. Cipriani requires surgery this summer to have a three-inch pin removed from his ankle and Johnson would not confirm whether the operation will be delayed until after the tour. But he did say that Flood's injury would not influence the Cipriani decision either way.
"The medical side has to be right and, if that happens, you can make the decision rugby-wise. I won't put pressure on guys to play if they are not right medically," said Johnson. "Toby was playing very well. He was starting for us and it is a big blow both for England and for Leicester. I spoke to Toby this week. This is a big injury. It is never routine coming back from something like that but there are good people with the know-how to get him back and Toby will work hard to get back in shape."
Despite spending the next two weekends on tenterhooks, Johnson has always been a fan of the play-off system. He believes it will help England develop players with the character needed to win the World Cup. "You get to the knockout games and it is pressure," he said. "You can't practise playing under that tension and pressure, when you know that one mistake can kill you. If you want to win the Heineken Cup or the World Cup, you have to win knockout games."
