In a sport where Johnny Wilkinson's 'praying mantis' goal-kicking style is all the rage, Julien Dupuy's no-nonsense approach has caught the eye.

Leicester Tigers' scrum-half took over the kicking duties because of the absence of England's Toby Flood and an injury to Derick Hougaard.

The Frenchman plays his 22nd game of the season against Guinness Premiership leaders Gloucester today, and his 77 per cent success rate with the boot has helped Tigers bag 98 points in their last three games.

Dupuy is a dying breed of goal-kicking scrum-halves. He is also one of those rare fuss-free kickers who put the ball down, walk back, set up and whack it.

Much like a footballer taking a free-kick, so it is no surprise that Dupuy learnt his trade from an ex professional footballer while at Biarritz.

Jean-Michel Larque, who played for St Etienne and was capped 14 times by France, was an unusual figure to be teaching Dupuy and French international team mate Dimitri Yachvili.

But Dupuy said: "When I played for Biarritz, Larque was my coach and he was very good. He told us to keep things simple and he helped me and Yachvili a lot. Now I work with Paul Burke well too.

"I have always kicked, whether I was with Biarritz or Perigueux, my first club.

"But when I arrived in Leicester I was new, and I couldn't say to people like Toby and Derick to move aside because I am a kicker.

"Now they are not in the side, I am kicking again and I like doing it. I am kicking well too. But sometimes you can kick straight for three games and then poorly for three games."

Mimicking the hands-out, bum-out style of Wilkinson, Flood and Hougaard, Dupuy added: "I don't do that. But if that is good for Toby, Derick and Johnny Wilkinson then fine. They are all good kickers."

Dupuy has earned his corn since arriving and played more rugby than he expected due to Harry Ellis' suspension and England duty.

He said: "When I came here, I wanted to play a lot of course. But 21 games is more than I ever thought.

"I am feeling better now than I was last month. I was very tired then. The two weeks we had off at the start of February came at just the right time for me. I went back to France for a while and could sleep and relax.

"Now, I am feeling good on the pitch and enjoying my time at the club. I try to give the best for the team – so it is my pleasure to play so much rugby."

Dupuy will again partner Sam Vesty, who makes his 100th Premiership appearance, at half-back, their fourth consecutive start together.

It is a partnership that has excited the fans.

Dupuy said: "Sammy is playing well and he is easy to play with. He tries to speak French with me, too, which is funny. Even during the game sometimes, he speaks French.

"He is a good player and I like how flat he plays. Him, Derick and Toby all have different games."

Tigers recall internationals Geordan Murphy, Benjamin Kayser, Tom Croft and Julian White, who makes his 100th start for the club, for a crucial first v fifth clash.

But they are stretched in the back row with Jordan Crane, Brett Deacon and Craig Newby joining the injured list.

Dupuy said: "They are a good side. They are first in the league and they played well against Bath last week.

"But we need to win. If we lose this weekend, the win against London Irish will mean nothing. We need to play well and continue to go up the league and keep on improving."