Tobias Gerald Albert Cecil Lieven Flood (born 8 August 1985) is an English rugby union coach and former player. He is currently kicking and skills coach at Newcastle Falcons in Premiership Rugby. During his playing career his position was fly half or inside centre. He played over 300 games in his club career across his three professional clubs, Newcastle Falcons, Toulouse and Leicester Tigers. He played 60 international matches for England between 2006 and 2014.
Early life
Toby Flood was born on 8 August 1985 at Frimley Park Hospital in Frimley, Surrey. Both of his grandfathers were actors. His paternal grandfather, Gerald Flood, voiced the robot companion Kamelion in Doctor Who. His maternal grandfather was German actor Albert Lieven, who appeared in The Guns of Navarone, and his maternal grandmother was English actress Susan Shaw. Flood's father (Tim) was Theatre Manager of the National Theatre, London, General Manager at the Redgrave Theatre, Farnham and (2013) the Programme and Marketing manager of the Customs House Theatre, South Shields.
Flood was brought up in Morpeth, Northumberland where he attended Chantry School. He also went to the Kings School in Tynemouth. Flood graduated from Northumbria University in 2007 with a degree in business management, and has also undertaken a Graduate Diploma in Law, in preparation for his planned post-rugby career as a lawyer.
Club career
Newcastle Falcons
A product of the Falcons academy, his third year at the university was completed on a part-time basis due to his rugby commitments. Jonny Wilkinson trained the Kings School first team while Flood was a student there.
Leicester Tigers
On 3 May 2008, it was announced that Flood was set to leave Newcastle Falcons for Leicester Tigers. He was officially confirmed as a Leicester player on 11 June 2008.
As a Tigers player, he settled at fly-half, having been switched between centre and fly-half in his career up until then. He was the first to top their points scoring list in a debut season since Dusty Hare in 1976–77. His debut game was in the first game of the season, against Gloucester, in which he managed to score a try. The shine came off his season, however, when he injured his Achilles tendon in the 2008–09 Heineken Cup semi-final game against Cardiff Blues – right before professional rugby's first ever sudden-death kicking competition. He was unable to take part in either of the Tigers' finals that year.
The injury ruled Flood out of the first two months of the 2009–10 season as well, and he returned in November, in a 2009–10 LV= Cup win against Newport Gwent Dragons. He stayed relatively injury-free for the rest of the season, however, and his good form helped the Tigers to top the table. They went on to win the 2009–10 Guinness Premiership final 33–27 against Saracens.
Flood captained the Tigers to victory over fierce rivals Northampton Saints in the 2013 Premiership Rugby final. On 21 December 2013, it was announced that Flood would leave the Tigers.
Toulouse
The Daily Telegraph reported that Flood had signed for Toulouse.
Return to Newcastle Falcons and retirement
On 9 May 2017, it was announced that Flood would return to Newcastle Falcons for the 2017–18 season, signalling a return to his first top-flight club more than 9 years after he left them for Tigers. On 6 September 2021 Flood announced his retirement from playing and his new role as kicking and skills coach for Newcastle.
International career
In the autumn of 2006, he came on twice as a fly-half replacement for England, his first cap coming in the defeat to Argentina. With Brian Ashton installed as the new England head coach, Flood was selected in the Elite squad for England's 2007 Six Nations campaign. Flood came on as a replacement in the game against to win his fourth England cap. He started his first game for England against at Twickenham and went on to score a try, helping England to a 26–18 victory. His personal points tally in the match was 16 points. Flood also started in the defeat to .
Ashton included Flood in the Elite squad for 2007 Rugby World Cup campaign of France, as a replacement for then Newcastle teammate Jamie Noon. He came on as a substitute in the quarter-final against Australia, which England won 12–10. Flood also came off the bench in the semi-final win over France and in the loss in the World Cup final to South Africa.
He scored England's opening try in the 2008 Six Nations game against Wales, and managed another the following game against .