1 Negotiate a meaningful agreement with the Premiership clubs Andy Robinson's reign as England's head coach coincided with a breakdown in relations with Premier Rugby, something Sir Clive Woodward predicted in his 2004 resignation speech. The players and England management were caught in the middle as the clubs and the Rugby Football Union publicly traded insults and each sought redress in the courts. Robinson started this season knowing he had his players for 16 training days but with no idea whether he could get his squad together for more than two days at a time - two week-long blocks he requested were turned down by the clubs. Contrast that with the Ireland coach, Eddie O'Sullivan, who not only ordered his men to rest for the first month of the season but is able to withdraw them from their provincial sides whenever he wants. The RFU and the clubs have signed various agreements this decade but, rather than trying to make them work, have both tried to exploit loopholes in them. The Premier Rugby chief executive, Mark McCafferty, and Rob Andrew have been working behind the scenes in the past few weeks to tie up a new elite-player scheme deal which would run between the next two World Cups and would address issues such as training days, rest periods and maximum appearances. "We have been able to make progress with Rob and it is vital he remains part of that process," said McCafferty. "We are confident of getting a new EPS agreement with Rob but it has to be a partnership, based on trust. England need a vibrant club game and the club game needs a vibrant England. We are in this together."
2 Separate the running of the amateur and professional games Robinson found himself tangled in red tape. He was due to compile a report after this month's internationals and present it to Club England next week; that group would in turn report and make recommendations to the RFU's management board. The most heated arguments in Twickenham this week have not been about Robinson but whether due process was observed. Club England contains a number of former international players but only Jason Leonard has played in the professional era. It should be a forum for all the interested parties in the professional game, coaches, players and referees, and it should reflect the modern era. It is still the blazers who set the trail.
3 Maintain the status quo England may have gone down down, deeper and down since lifting the Webb Ellis Cup three years ago but the last thing they need, nine months before they start the defence of their trophy, is a new head coach coming in and bringing a new drawing board with him. Robinson had ceased to be an influential coach after last summer's review effectively made him a manager. Brian Ashton is leading the tactical direction of the side, badly served by the attritional nature of the Premiership where skill and inspiration are rare. Ashton and his fellow coaches, John Wells and Mike Ford, need to be given time to make their revolution work. There should be a chairman of selectors whose job would be to front up to the media and justify selections and performances, keeping the heat off the coaches.
4 Playing style When Wales were thrashed by New Zealand last Saturday their coach, Gareth Jenkins, who does not have his players under central contracts, said he was going to tell coaches of the four Wales regions what lessons he wanted the game to absorb, not least being more physical in the contact area and using judo experts to help players. The England head coach has no such influence, but play in the Premiership has to be speeded up by making the breakdown a contest for possession. Most of New Zealand's tries followed opponents' surrendering possession. "The English club game needs to be positive in its attitude and really test defences," said the All Blacks' head coach, Graham Henry.
5 Think ahead England will not win the World Cup next year. Their target has to be to beat Samoa and qualify for the quarter-finals. They have wasted the past three years and the focus has to be 2011 and 2015.
