Flutey’s long road to redemption
The next question on everyone’s lips is whether Riki Flutey will be heading to Munster, but before his future is resolved the centre is fully focused on keeping England’s hopes of a Grand Slam alive.
Some say that it is a damning indictment on the state of English rugby that they have been forced to turn to a Maori from Wairarapa, on New Zealand’s North Island, to shape their midfield. Others, with Martin Johnson chief amongst them, argue that England cannot afford to ignore a talent of Flutey’s stature.
Yet even Flutey admits he occasionally has to pinch himself to realise how far he has come since deciding, at the age of 24, to leave his homeland and search for pastures new.
Part of the leadership group at the Hurricanes, Flutey was a jack of all trades and master of none, with his versatility in the half-back, centre and full-back positions proving a curse rather than a blessing, with off-field problems hardly helping.
The 30-year-old looks back on his time in New Zealand as if he is talking about a different person. Now it is a clear that he has grown, both as a player and a man.
“I was a youngster, and I was rubbing shoulders with some of the best players in the world – people of the stature of Christian Cullen, Jonah Lomu, Tana Umaga,” explains Flutey.
“It was fantastic to learn from those guys, but I was in my comfort zone, just happy to be in the match-day 22. Then I realised that I was a senior member of the Hurricanes squad but hadn’t stamped my mark on any one position, I was all over the place.
“My whole drive with leaving New Zealand was to get better as a player and succeed. Also, as a youngster I was nowhere near as professional as I am now. That was a large reason why I didn’t take my opportunities. I’m sure my coaches from that time would agree with me.”
That is an acknowledgement of a time the centre would rather forget. Flutey was a heavy drinking gambler who was constantly getting into bar-room brawls.
The nadir was reached during the Wellington Academy tour of Argentina in 2001, when Flutey spent four nights in the cells for assaulting an 18-year-old student. The criminal case was only dropped in 2008, but Flutey had realised the error of his ways.
So it was that he left New Zealand for London Irish in 2005, with spells at Wasps and now Brive following, with his four years in England allowing him to qualify to play for the country on residency grounds.
“Back in 2005 I made the decision to go somewhere else where no-one knew me,” he explains.
“I just wanted to start with a clean slate and go from there. It’s been hard work, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. And from a rugby perspective it means I have a nice blend of skills. I know how the game is played in the southern hemisphere, and also what works in Europe.”
Meanwhile, Flutey shrugs off the flak that has been flying England’s way in recent weeks and looks forward.
“Does the criticism affect me? Well we put enough pressure on ourselves and each other in this team, and from my point of view that’s what matters. We constantly say that you wouldn’t ask someone to do what you wouldn’t be prepared to do yourself, and that’s what counts.
“As for Ireland, they will be very fired up after their loss to France, but we respect their team and their coaching staff hugely. The fact they went unbeaten through 2009 tells you all you need to know about them.”
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