Rugby World Cup: The Pieman Cometh

You know, the more injuries, sick notes and suspensions Brian Ashton is faced with, the better the team to face the Boks on Friday looks. One of the problems with a Wilko-Farrell axis has been that both have been slow to pick a line, neither has looked like breaking it and the defence has just drifted onto the outside receivers.

One paper cut for Wilkinson, a hip replacement for Barkley and problem solved. Move the Man of Steel in to fly half, 1st 5/8 or however you want to describe it and you've got a big chunk of leaguiness to keep the back row boys interested. Mike Catt has tended to play his best games when they're big, eg. France in the Six Nations; Jamie Noon picks up tries against teams like NZ and locks the 13 slot up. Outside? Well, South Africa have an old Newport Gwent Dragons player. No sweat.

That's what Ashton is hoping for; he's unlikely to get it. Shaun Edwards thinks that Faz is ideal at fly half: "I strongly believe his best position is number 10. Even though he hasn't played there a great deal, he played first receiver a lot in rugby league." Sounds good, but first receiver at league doesn't involve tactically kicking the ball away to gain field position, or clearing the decks when you're right on your own goal line and you just can't die with the ball - as you can in safe old league.

There's the pace issue - none supplied with Faz these days - and the lack of understanding from a consistent 10/12 pairing. In fact, after 3 years of going backward under Woodward/ mini-Woodward and 9 months of improvement under Ashton - allegedly - it's all a bit last-minute.

What do you reckon: potential for an improvement over the last couple of games against France and the first pool match against the US? Or is that another 10 point head-start for the Saffers?