Goode vibrations at Vicarage Road

Saracens fly-half is tipped for big things by his coach Venter as he lines up against Jonny Wilkinson, the man many regard he will replace.

Jonny Wilkinson will be given a reminder of his past and a glimpse into the future, when he lines up for Toulon against Saracens at a frosty Vicarage Road tonight. Even if the snow has thawed in time for the plum tie in European Challenge Cup, there will be enough of a chill in the air to remind the celebrated fly-half what his winters in England used to be like.

Wilkinson has enjoyed an Indian summer since he opted instead for the sunnier climes of the south of France last year. As such, his name has been written with indelible ink into Martin Johnson's Six Nations squad. The No 10 shirt is his sole property again. Yet tonight, the player who might come to be regarded as his long-term successor for the national team could be lying in opposition. Standing at a mere 5ft 11ins tall, tipping the scales at just over 13 stone, and, perhaps most importantly, with no league rugby experience to draw on, it is little surprise Alex Goode's name did not feature on Johnson's list yesterday.

That is not to say he does not feature in the England manager's plans, however. Brendan Venter, Goode's coach at Saracens, revealed this week that Johnson had phoned him to discuss the youngster's form. The South African coach acknowledged he is a "very special" talent, but pleaded for patience over the 22-year-old fly-half, who can also play full-back. Eddie Jones, the former Australia coach, handed Goode his senior Saracens debut on his 21st birthday. Jones even regards Goode as the brightest prospect in the English game, alongside the Wasps player Danny Cipriani.

"I think he is a very good young player," said Jones. "He is a confident footballer. He reminds me a lot of Leon MacDonald [the Crusaders and All Blacks full-back]. "He does the simple things very well, he is a good communicator, he is able to play 10 or 15 equally well. He has a certain toughness about him. He is a very smart player and is starting to put his mark on the Premiership." "I have told him by the time he is ready for England he'll be brilliant," Venter said. "He will have learned his trade in the Premiership and he will play international rugby for the next 10 years." @Email:[e-mail] Saracens v Toulon, 11.30pm, Showsports 2