I am disappointed for Pat, Worcester and England because he will be sorely missed. He was outstanding for us in the autumn, and he played very well in the first half for Worcester against Bristol on Friday night before coming off.

With a couple of exceptions, I can picture the team running out against Australia,

We should be able to win anywhere in the world and against any opposition. France, where we haven't won in six years, is an important place for us to make our mark - to show how much we have improved over the last couple of years.

I very much hope we score some early points and get the thing won in the first 20 minutes, as we have on previous occasions. But we all understand we're facing a great battle here. If we're sloppy at the set pieces, give away penalties and allow the Italians to establish a foothold in the game, we may find ourselves having to use our bench players to win, which is not a position in which we tend to find ourselves against these opponents.

As regards such comments, the dressing room is actually a very positive area. I am very happy with what is happening there. There is a real spark among the players and a desire to get things right against the Irish.

For the preparation for the England side competing against the best it's important we give the players every opportunity to perform at their best. With the system we've got that isn't possible and that's a disappointment for me.