Thats tough. 4 big games in 4 weeks. There is no way that we will see the same starting XV for each game, even if we wanted to. Managing the attrition will be crucial.

Wales on the other hand have Italy at home this week, and then start RWC against Uruguay (who have just been hammered twice by Japan). I can imagine that we won’t see Wales’s A team in its entirety until the England game.

I didn’t see the Italy game at the weekend but I don’t imagine that a record beating from the Scots has put them in the best of moods, so Wales may have a hard afternoon (up front, anyway).

Picking players is not some easy thing to do. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. It takes lots of experimentation and some faith. For all we know, Twelvetrees and Cipriani could be crucial members of the 2019 world cup squad even though they are not going this year (though Cipriani may be called up if any injuries).

An agile and highly aerobically fit pack is fantastic, if a) you have the ball; b) have the skill level to play at a pace to take advantage of the superior fitness. Both games against France we’ve been out muscled upfront and neither game was played at a pace that the supposed superior fitness became evident. I’m not too confident that strategically they have got this preparation phase right. We aren’t used to finding a way to win when second best at the set piece and this could be the case against both Wales and Aus.

Also there was clearly nothing that Cips, Attwood, Easter, 36 (and probably Burrell) could possibly have done to play their way in to the final 31. The first 3 of these in particular could not have contributed more off the bench. If that decision had already been taken then give Morgan some time off the bench and, given we are down to a 1 capper if a centre gets a knock (Barritt is not indestructible due to his playing style) then some more game time of Burgess or Slade would seem to have made far more sense.

Huge game against Ireland now, I would pick the strongest XV, with Fiji to start and then straight into the defining fixtures against Aus and Wales we can’t afford to be undercooked.

Marler, Cole, Lawes, Robshaw, Vunipola, B Youngs, Brown

and perhaps Launchbury as well

Glad Morgan is in, with him around i feel that our set piece is generally much better than what B Vunipola offers. The back rows to be expected but i wonder if Woods has gone past his prime. Cipirani i feel should’ve been in the squad.

Scrum halves i feel Wiggleworth is a situational player for example the friendly against France in paris Wiggleworth would’ve been very useful in controlling the first half but compare something like 6 nation against france i think i would’ve prefer B Youngs, but that is not to say care did a horrible job.

How can he know if players are going to step up if they don’t get a chance?

I think we can see the Lancaster “philosophy” clearly now. The Harlem Globetrotters up front combined with one genuinely elusive centre and two wrecking balls with Slade to bring some guile and craft but where and when?

Brown will be first choice FB and has a decent boot on him but other than him England will be seriously devoid of exit strategies, if needed, in the backline and if JJ gets injured or loses form then who brings the mobility and pace?

Kruis over Attwood? Not entirely convinced by that. Bomber can’t (or won’t) accept that in order to play bells and whistles rugby you first need to gain ascendancy up front and for that you need muscle and attitude,”dog” as Johnno used to call it. I see a pack seriously lacking in dog here.

Itoje and/or Ewers should be in there, particularly as Morgan has had so little game and rehab time.

Forgive my pessimism but we won’t win the World Cup. On the plus side that means we may finally get a team of coaches who are truly international standard and a team to match.