The holders have had a torrid time since that Jonny Wilkinson drop goal helped them lift the Webb Ellis Trophy  in 2003.

As world champions, they are there to be knocked down, and many teams have taken the opportunity to do so in the last four years.

Wilkinson’s season-ticket in hospitals, the retirement of many top players, loss of form, poor coaching, poor preparation, complacency … they’ve all been blamed for England’s fall from grace in the last four years, but they can still be a difficult team to beat in France, and nobody will underestimate them.

Brian Ashton’s preparations haven’t gone well, and even though he took a weakened squad to South Africa, the manner of the two defeats there rang many alarm bells.

If Ashton can engender the spirit that Clive Woodward and Martin Johnson injected into the squad then, they might just do well. If ...

POOL MATCHES

USA in Lens, Sept 8

South Africa in Paris, Sept 14

Samoa in Nantes, Sept 22

Tonga in Paris, Sept 28

With two recent crushing wins over a weakened England behind them, South Africa were later criticised in Australia for taking a pre-World Cup squad minus about 20 of their top players, but they were 17-0 up and unlucky to lose.

The Springboks quite rightly stuck to their guns and quietly told the Aussies to mind their own business as they prepared for the competition without taking risks.

After losing to England in the pool stages in 2003, they are favourites to turn the tables this time and win Pool A.

England will be stronger than they were in June when the teams meet in Paris, but the Springboks will take some holding and they are determined to become winners again.

POOL MATCHES

Samoa in Paris, Sept 9

England in Paris, Sept 14

Tonga in Lens, Sept 22

USA in Montpellier, Sept 30

Samoa are expected to be the team to battle with England for the runners-up spot.

These three sides were all in the same pool in Australia four years ago, when England had a real scare in Melbourne before beating the islanders 35-22 in one of the best games of the tournament.

World Cup winner Michael Jones in the Samoa coach, and they will be up for the tournament, though they will need to be on their toes when they clash with old rivals Tonga in Montpellier if they are to record their tenth straight win in the series between the sides. Their ninth came in the Pacific Nations Cup in June, when they won 50-3.

Samoa's physical game has upset teams before, and they can be expected to be just as tough for all their opponents in France.

POOL MATCHES

South Africa in Paris, Sept 9

Tonga in Montpellier, Sept 16

England in Nantes, Sept 22

USA in St Etienne, Sept 26

For a country that manages to produce world champions in sports nobody else bothers to play, the USA find out what real sport is all about when they play in the rugby World Cup.

They’ll probably lose all five of their Pool A games, though they may hold hopes of getting a result against Tonga.

But the Eagles will probably land with a bump early in the competition, and then stay on the ground until they go home. However, give them credit for trying.

They qualified via a complicated system which involved countries like Peru and St Vincent & the Grenadines. They lost to Canada in their original pool, but finished runners-up, and then won 42-13 against Venezuela in and 33-7 in California to book their ticket to France.

POOL MATCHES

England in Lens, Sept 8

Tonga in Montpellier, Sept 12

Samoa in St Etienne, Sept 26

South Africa in Montpellier, Sept 30

Tonga are one of the outsiders, but don’t expect that to mean they will believe they are just there to make up the numbers.

They qualified for their third successive World Cup via the repechage, but they have lost their last five games in the competition proper.

One of those defeats was the harrowing 101-10 reverse against England in Australia four years ago, but they won’t allow that to intimidate them.

Several England players will know they’ve been tackled when they meet the Tongans, who will regard their biggest game of the tournament as the clash with Pacific neighbours Samoa, when they’ll be looking for revenge for a 50-3 defeat in the Pacific Nations Cup in June, though their best hopes of a long overdue victory will be against the USA Eagles, a side they beat 29-6 when they last met in 2000.

POOL MATCHES

USA in Montpellier, Sept 12

Samoa in Montpellier, Sept 16

South Africa in Lens, Sept 22

England in Paris,  Sept 28