For understandable reasons, England cannot wait to begin their World Cup defence tonight. A high-scoring win over the United States would be a perfect restorative at the end of a difficult week, giving everyone the chance to start afresh. With Jonny Wilkinson still on crutches, there is a pressing need to inject some joie de vivre into the English patient.
A visit to the war memorials of the Somme has instilled a healthy sense of perspective which may prove useful in the weeks ahead, but the captain, Phil Vickery, spoke for his squad yesterday when he said the 2003 champions were "fed up with training" and were aching to take their frustration out on their opponents. "I'd like to think we're going to make a few people sit up and take notice in the next seven weeks. I haven't looked forward to a rugby match more for ages."
By his own admission he is not a great watcher of televised rugby - he had no intention of sitting through last night's opening France v Argentina game - and his pre-match address at the team hotel on the outskirts of Arras could not be described as tub-thumping. His body language is rather different when he squeezes into his kit, though, and he will expect his men to trample on American dreams of a result to rival their 1-0 footballing shock in Belo Horizonte in 1950.
If England can do so, with Olly Barkley pulling the strings at fly-half and backs and forwards combining to better effect, the head coach, Brian Ashton, sees no reason why victory should not be a springboard to bigger and better things, starting against South Africa on Friday. "If the players play to their potential we can cause all sorts of problems to all sorts of teams at this World Cup," Ashton said. He will not be putting any particular emphasis on try-scoring bonus points, believing a decent performance will ensure that England reap the necessary reward. If they can "nil" the Americans, to use an ugly verb, it would be the first time any England side has been so parsimonious at a World Cup.
Either way, a lop-sided outcome looks certain with wing tries aplenty for Josh Lewsey, on his 50th appearance for England, and Jason Robinson. The Americans are big boys but it will be a few years yet before Nigel Melville, the Eagles' director of rugby, presides over a team of genuine international clout. "If we won one game, fantastic. If we won two we'd be ecstatic," said the Eagles' fly-half and captain, Mike Hercus, who has had spells at Sale and Llanelli Scarlets.
Quite how many people in the States - or anywhere outside the major rugby nations, for that matter - will even get to read the result is a moot point with a row over photographic image rights still raging between the International Rugby Board and a media coalition which includes all the major international agencies.
Senior figures at the IRB seem worryingly unaware of how many news outlets are served by Reuters, Associated Press and Agence France Presse; suffice to say, if those responsible want to scupper rugby's development in Asia and the Americas and set the sport back 20 years they are going about it the right way.
There are also times when the IRB's fixture schedule seems to have been devised by the Marquis de Sade. It was confirmed yesterday that England will play two Tests in New Zealand next summer, facing the All Blacks in Auckland on June 14 and in Christchurch a week later, the hosts also facing Ireland in Wellington on June 7. A summit is due to be held in November to discuss the international calendar. Something has to give.
