Five years ago this month England played their first Test match under Clive Woodward's command and the revolution since has been profound. Can anyone remember Jack Rowell's England? Thought not. England now have realistic hopes of knocking over the All Blacks, the Wallabies and the Springboks in succession this month. Performing a lap of honour after gallant defeat, as happened against Australia at Old Trafford in 1997, is no longer an option.
If ever there was a keynote fixture, though, it is next Saturday's showdown with New Zealand. A win over the All Blacks, below strength or not, still has rarity value and England have managed it only three times since the second world war. Monday's starting line-up confirmation, therefore, will be hugely significant, both in its immediate context as well as launching England's 14-match countdown to next year's World Cup. With a 30-man squad on full alert, Woodward has seldom had so many tough calls to make.
Front row
No argument at tight-head where Phil Vickery, who led England last time out in Argentina, is in prime raging bull mode. If Steve Thompson is going to develop into a world-class hooker by next year he should start ahead of the revitalised Mark Regan, but loose-head prop is less easy. The suspension of Bristol's Julian White rules out any chance of a positional switch for Vickery, leaving three candidates to wear No1: Jason Leonard, Graham Rowntree and Trevor Woodman. The choice basically boils down to Leonard's experience and solidity, Rowntree's grit and scrummaging ability, or Woodman's extra verve in the loose. Purely on form, Gloucester's Woodman must be close to starting a Test for the first time.
Prediction Woodman, Thompson, Vickery.
Second row
It is just as well Martin Johnson started the season fit and hungry, because the competition in his position is now immense. His Leicester colleague Ben Kay was hugely impressive against the Pumas in the summer but is in genuine danger of losing out to Danny Grewcock, and Simon Shaw, Garath Archer and Tom Palmer have all been playing out of their considerable skins. For this particular engagement, against an All Black side with two uncapped locks, a bit of hard-nosed experience in the shape of Johnson, already confirmed as captain, and the no-nonsense Grewcock will be hard to resist.
Prediction Johnson (capt), Grewcock.
Back row
For ages Woodward's back row of Richard Hill, Neil Back and Lawrence Dallaglio virtually picked itself. There is still no question of dropping Hill, who will win his 50th England cap against the All Blacks, and Dallaglio has made a suitably strong impression since returning from knee surgery. For now the 33-year-old Back has also done enough at club level to prolong his tenure at No7 ahead of Lewis Moody, but Gloucester's uncapped James Forrester could yet dynamite all preconceptions between now and Christmas and deserves a seat on the bench.
Prediction Hill, Back, Dallaglio.
Half-backs
With Charlie Hodgson out of the reckoning through injury, the whispers suggesting that Jonny Wilkinson, nominated for international player of the year, might be switched to inside centre are now irrelevant. Either Austin Healey or Mike Catt will be needed to provide fly-half cover but, even with Kyran Bracken dropped, the scrum-half issue remains tight. If quick ball to the backs is England's priority, Andy Gomarsall is in fine fettle for Gloucester, but he may yet have to win his personal duel at Kingsholm today with Northampton's Matt Dawson.
Prediction Gomarsall, Wilkinson.
Midfield
When people assess Woodward's reign they can hardly avoid the spring of 2001 when England's backs produced some of the most scintillating rugby ever seen from the national team. The width provided by Catt's long passing from inside centre was a key element but the Bath man, troubled by injury, has not played for England for almost 12 months. Will Greenwood is a class act and, on this occasion, Woodward may be tempted to partner him with Bath's other England centre, the robust Mike Tindall who never lets anybody down.
Prediction Greenwood, Tindall.
Back three
Woodward enjoys nothing more than pursuing a selectorial hunch and James Simpson-Daniel is the latest name in the frame. In the 20-year-old Gloucester wing's case, though, the notion of him troubling Test defences is not so much a hunch as a stone-cold certainty; the only question is when to unleash him. Those who saw him run around Jonah Lomu when the Barbarians came to Twickenham in May will be aware of his special talents with ball in hand and he would have already won a cap had an ankle problem not ruled him out of the Argentina tour this summer.
As a schoolboy at Sedbergh, Will Carling's old school, he played fly-half and he could yet be the long-term answer for England at outside centre, but he spent the first month of this season struggling even to get a start for Gloucester. "I'm not very good at watching matches I could be involved in. I was pretty down," he said this week. Since finally getting a club start on the wing, though, he has given Woodward reason enough to pick him in the absence of the injured Dan Luger and Iain Balshaw.
"When people write nice things it gives you confidence but you can't let it get into your head too much in case you get carried away," he said. "I haven't actually achieved a huge amount yet. I don't want to get my hopes up only to be shot down."
Fair enough, but the sublime disguised flip pass to Terry Fanolua in last week's game against Wasps was the sort of cheeky artistry under pressure only sporadically seen since the great David Campese retired. "I was quite lucky he adapted to it and read what I was doing. Had I just left it there and Terry had stayed on my inside it would have been rubbish. We did the same thing against Viadana the week before and scored but these are things I've done since school days. Occasionally they don't work but it's good when they do."
The trailing Lomu, for one, will recall Simpson-Daniel throwing a pop pass to himself to fool South Africa's Percy Montgomery for his try against the Barbarians, and Woodward would love to see such invention against the All Blacks. But the head coach is not short of alternative options. Simpson-Daniel's uncapped 19-year-old club-mate Marcel Garvey is vying with Bristol's sidestep king Phil Christophers for a place on the bench, and there is always Healey. Woodward, though, will surprise everyone if he leaves out Ben Cohen, who now offers more than simply size and strength, and Jason Robinson is certain to start. Other sides have begun to work out how to limit the attacking damage Robinson causes from deep field positions, though, and England need to aim their twinkling full-back at holes closer to the gain line. To cover the kicking duties if Wilkinson is injured, Tim Stimpson would also be a valuable bench member.
Prediction Simpson-Daniel, Cohen, Robinson.
My England XV
Bill Beaumont
Former England and Lions Captain
"You want to win the games but this is also an opportunity to look at a few players before the World Cup.I think Garvey 's very exciting and I 'd also give James Forrester a run in one of the autumn Tests.For this one, though, I 'll go for Moody at flanker. Catt 's a big pressure player and Kay played bloody well last season."
Backs: Robinson; Garvey, Greenwood, Catt, Cohen; Wilkinson, Gomarsall.
Forwards: Woodman, Thompson, Vickery; Johnson, Kay; Hill, Moody, Dallaglio.
John Scott
Former England captain
"Woodward will pick his strongest available side for the All Blacks,so no starting place for Garvey. Dawson offers more at scrum-half than Gomarsall. While Catt and Grewcock have strong claims,Tindall and Kay are the future.The back row may be getting on in years,but as a unit they are still the best around."
Backs: Robinson; Simpson-Daniel, Tindall, Greenwood,Cohen; Wilkinson, Dawson.
Forwards: Woodman, Thompson, Vickery, Johnson, Kay, Hill, Back, Dallaglio.
Phil Bennett
Former Wales fly-half
"I would find a place for Healey because he has moments of genius and Catt is an inside centre to complement Wilkinson. Dawson is a great scrum-half and England are spoiled for choice all over. Woodman has impressed me for Gloucester, Kay is a powerful and mobile second row while the back row picks itself, three world-class players who blend perfectly."
Backs: Robinson; Healey, Greenwood, Catt, Cohen; Wilkinson, Dawson.
Forwards: Woodman, Thompson, Vickery; Johnson, Kay; Hill, Back, Dallaglio.
