Lawrence Dallaglio looks ahead to England's clash with Argentina at Twickenham tomorrow:
International rugby is well and truly back on the agenda.
It had been almost eight months since an England team took to the field at Twickenham and 80,000 expectant England supporters were on hand to herald in the 2009 instalment of Investec Autumn Internationals.
England versus Australia at rugby HQ is a special occasion; however the prize this time was all the more important given their respective problems.
Struggling for form the stakes for both teams were high. Win and the doubters would be silenced, lose and the inquest would begin.
After a woeful Tri Nations campaign, Australia were looking to bounce back against an England side decimated by injuries in recent weeks.
English spirits had been buoyed by the return of Jonny Wilkinson and his much-anticipated comeback certainly didn’t disappoint.
Only three minutes were on the clock when Jonny calmly slotted a drop kick straight through the uprights – a painful reminder for the Australians, if ever they needed one, just how dangerous he can be given the slightest chance.
Another Wilkinson penalty followed before Australia hit back with a try from impressive scrum half Will Genia.
The youngster dummied Louis Deacon into submission during the build up before scampering over to reduce the deficit to a single point at 6-5. England responded through Wilkinson’s boot once again to make it 9-5 at the interval.
Unfortunately that was as good as it got for England.
The Wallabies came out fighting and England seemed devoid of any attacking endeavour.
Two Giteau penalties put Australia ahead before Adam Ashley-Cooper compounded the misery surrounding Twickenham when he forced his way over, scoring the match winning try against England for the second year running.
Mark Cueto and Ugo Monye really should have done better in the corner but the try was scored and the game as good as over. 18-9 the final score, condemning England to their seventh loss in 12 outings since Martin Johnson took charge 18 months ago.
Restricting Australia to just 13 second half points was admirable given the amount of possession England had to soak up after half time.
England owed a lot to Lewis Moody for a determined and dogged display in defence and his performance, along with Wilkinson, was a rare bright spark on the day.
The real problem on Saturday was when we had the ball in hand.
We were too slow at the breakdown and the rare glimpses of attacking flair that Twickenham was treated to by the men in white fizzled out in an instant.
It is all about momentum and the slow recycling of the ball makes it increasingly difficult to get points on the board.
This will need to be re-addressed against Argentina on Saturday.
The Pumas are a tricky team as England found out during their two match series home and away last summer. It is important, almost imperative, that England bounce back.
Martin Johnson needs to find the right balance between experience and youth. If anything the scales tip too heavily towards experience.
Australia showed last weekend that young blood in the shape of Will Genia and Quade Cooper can indeed prosper on the international rugby stage. It’s time for England to follow suit.
Courtney Lawes has been imperious for Northampton and even at such a tender age looks ripe for rugby at this level.
He will have to settle for a place on the bench, but one man fully deserving of his place in the starting lineup is James Haskell.
The Stade Francais man gave England some much-needed impetus in an otherwise lacklustre second half display against the Wallabies.
Johnson will be looking for the him to make a similar impact but right from the start this time.
In the backline I am surprised that Ben Foden has once again been overlooked.
I would have liked to see Foden replace Ugo Monye at full back with the Harlequins man moving to his more natural position on the wing.
Remember it was from here that Monye proved himself to be so effective during the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa last summer.
Argentina have injury concerns of their own. They go into the game without talismanic goal kicker Juan Martin Hernandez and leading playmaker Felipe Contepomi. It is a big loss but England would be wise not to underestimate their opponents.
Argentina may no longer possess the experience and talent of Agustin Pichot’s squad that performed so heroically to finish third at the 2007 World Cup, however they do sit two places above England in the current world rankings and that must count for something. England must be wary of the threat but it is important that they play their own game and not be overly cautious.
This weekend is a time for the red rose to deliver, time for the boys to show some heart and time for English rugby to return to winning ways. A packed Twickenham won’t accept anything less.
l Lawrence Dallaglio is an ambassador for Greene King IPA, the Official Beer of England Rugby.
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