England will embark on their World Cup mission today with senior players claiming tactical adjustments are urgently needed if the defending champions are to make any significant progress. Mike Catt, in particular, believes the squad's strike-runners are being under-used and that a strictly forward-orientated approach will be doomed to failure.

The 35-year-old Catt, who is preparing for his fourth World Cup, is one of several squad members conscious that England will find it hard to outmuscle physical Pool A opponents such as South Africa and Samoa and feels they must explore other point-scoring avenues after two tryless warm-up games against France.

"We've been playing to one particular strength, which is our forwards, but most teams have stopped that," said Catt, who spent yesterday with his team-mates at the O2 Scrum in the Park public event in Regent's Park ahead of today's flight to Paris. "Now we need to go away from that and play to our other strengths: our distribution and our back three. We need to get the balance right and be more streetwise. Against South Africa, for example, we know we've got to play a different way."

Catt is also adamant that England are not making the best of their talented back three, with Jason Robinson, Mark Cueto and Josh Lewsey all being starved of good attacking ball. "We've all been very disappointed, especially by the defeat to France in Marseille," he said. "They showed us the outside in the first 10 minutes and we got some good mileage out of that but then stopped going there.

"It's a shame for the back three who are not getting many opportunities. For me it's fine ... I'm still part of the game because the kicking game is vital when you play the way we have been. But we're certainly not playing with the sort of carefree attitude Brian is used to. He's only had eight months or so with us so it is a massive ask. We've changed a few things and the people who play that particular way have got to turn up and lead the show."

Catt's views echo those of several other players. "At times there has been some frustration. As a winger if you want to do what you do best then you need the ball," admitted Robinson, who received only three passes in Marseille, a statistic Catt described as "unacceptable". The latter also used his Sunday newspaper column yesterday to ram home the point that England need to vary their point of attack more. "We're not going to get any change trying to run through the French centres when they are 16-stone apiece and it is the same with South Africa."

England, who will be based just south of Paris in Versailles, are due to announce their side tomorrow for their opening World Cup game against the United States in Lens on Saturday. The only slight doubt remains Martin Corry but the Leicester back-row forward is adamant he will be fit to train tomorrow after straining his left knee in Marseille. "I've told Brian I intend to be training fully on Tuesday," said Corry. "There's no significant damage and I am very keen to play against the USA."

Jonny Wilkinson will arrive in Paris tomorrow admitting he still "can't bear the idea" of missing a kick. The 2003 World Cup final matchwinner has played only seven times for England since his Sydney heroics so the mere prospect of Wilkinson checking in at England's Versailles training base will raise spirits among supporters.

Despite his well chronicled injury setbacks Wilkinson heads to France as still arguably England's most valuable player. Assessing the prospect of his third World Cup campaign, he said: "I still need to do the preparation, I can't bear the idea of missing a kick and not doing my best. But instead of getting angry on the training field, like I used to spend a lot of time doing, and thinking something was working against me, I now see those misses as a very quick opportunity to learn a lesson and move forward.

"It doesn't mean I stop being so intense and ambitious about each game, but it is not a case of saying 'I have to go through pain to win or come out on top.' It is hard work, but it isn't pain, it is good fun. I've learned the two can go together."