Sadly, however, Andy Robinson has had a word in the ear of the dictionary division of the RFU, and progress has subsequently been removed from the Twickenham vocabulary for the foreseeable future. Instead, as I sit drafting this piece – baffled by the squad, bemused by the statements, and horrified by the reappearance of the cold hand of Woodward on the coach’s shoulder – my mind turns to what can be salvaged. 

The answer, in short, is Lee Mears. The uncapped Bath hooker may have raised a few eyebrows when selected in the initial 30-man squad; but now he has a major role to play if England are to make even a half decent attempt at becoming the first team in rugby history to retain the Webb Ellis trophy. His barnstorming club form alone should see the 5’8” Mears looking down on the 6’2” Steve Thompson, but there’s more to it than that: Mears’ selection would allow England to lay a foundation in the set-piece.

 The unfortunate injuries to Simon Shaw and Alex Brown may prove a blessing in disguise, as it has given Robinson a chance to field Europe’s most consistent line-out combination, with Steve Borthwick and a reinvigorated Danny Grewcock joining their diminutive hooker, in his starting line-up. With captain Martin Corry at the back of the line and Andrew Sheridan (the most exciting thing to happen to the World of propping since the 35ml measure) at the front, England could boast one of the strongest set-pieces in the World game. It is from such foundations that great teams can be built. Do not be under any misapprehensions, the squad named to face the decimated Aussies in next Saturday’s clash will not win the next World Cup, and certainly not if it requires deconstructing at source, but Mears and co can at least provide a springboard for future success. 

Casting aside this almost asinine optimism, the crucial matter in English rugby this month is that the squad is rubbish. For everybody who was expecting to see attractive running rugby, it is my unfortunate duty to report that the dinosaurs are back. Mike Tindall is almost guaranteed a starting berth - at inside centre of all places – and Ben Cohen will learn today, as will we all, if he has beaten Mark van Gisbergen to the final place in the back three. Should both men become fixtures in the side again, Charlie Hodgson might as well cut off one of his hands – he’ll only need one to catch a ball and drop it onto his boot. As the clash between Australia and France pinpointed, the game is different to the one that England dominated 2 years ago; the pace of the antipodean attack and the irrepressible adventure and intuition of the French showed what International rugby is (and should be) about.

 But there’s still time. Just. The squad as it stands has put the development back a few steps, but there’s just enough to work with to hopefully ensure that Robinson’s (should he keep his job) team don’t come up desperately short when it matters in France in 2007. It has to be the case that the core of the team remains constant for as much of the next two seasons as possible, and if the set-piece works as well as it should, then there will be plenty of opportunities to integrate individuals and develop a style within the team, without the need for a complete overhaul at any stage. Two of those individuals must surely be Tom Rees and James Simpson-Daniel, who have more pace and flair in their little fingers than some of their rivals have in their whole bodies, and their inclusion should come sooner rather than later.

 At this stage, no player should be picked on the basis of experience, partly because most of that experience of late has been of losing, but mainly because now, where results are secondary, is the best time to give our young talent the experience they will need in two years. Robinson has a tough task ahead of him this autumn, so long as he knows precisely what that task is; it is not necessarily to win the matches, but to forge a playing style that can be taken forward and develop the team. Tactically, certain things need to be put right, such as implementing an aggressive defensive system and getting the forwards, especially the less mobile amongst them, out of the backline and where they belong, in an attempt to get the Woodward monkey off the squad’s back permanently. If this is achieved then there is a future, regardless of the results, but if not, then Robinson must go. 

The danger is in the continuation of the attitude that was in place at the end of the VI Nations, that an average performance is acceptable. It is my greatest fear that, should England squeak a win against Australia and complete the formalities against Samoa, then the head coach’s temptation will be to keep things as they are, but it is imperative that the team does not stop striving to improve until RWC 2007. The Samoa game shouldn’t be treated as a means of trying out new players for the sake of it - since every minute that the players spend on the field together helps to build up the team’s continuity and communication - and whatever the first-choice team is deemed to be should play together regardless. 

The other two matches against Australia and New Zealand should be used as a measure of where the team is in as accurate a way as possible, which means that no quarter must be given. Crucial to this is that no silly penalties must be conceded (I’m looking at you, Mr Moody), and we must kick our goals (I’m looking, hopefully, at van Gisbergen). England are a team in development, but they mustn't think that they can simply feel their way in. If they go in tentatively they will be beaten badly, and without trying to impose their own game upon their opposition they will learn nothing about themselves, and will be back to square one. For what it’s worth, this is the side I would pick to face Australia, from the XXII selected:

1. Andrew Sheridan 2. Lee Mears 3. Matthew Stevens 4. Steve Borthwick 5. Danny Grewcock 6. Lewis Moody 7. Pat Sanderson 8. Martin Corry 9. Harry Ellis 10. Charlie Hodgson 11. Josh Lewsey 12. Olly Barkley 13. Jamie Noon 14. Mark Cueto 15. Mark van Gisbergen

View a Printer Friendly version of this Story.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon