Quarter-finals:It is almost four years since the greatest day in English rugby history and, if Australia play their cards right, payback time has finally arrived. There are 13 survivors from the victorious 2003 squad in Brian Ashton's match-day 22 but English supporters anticipating a similarly sweet red-rose triumph should have been at yesterday's eve-of-game press conference.
It was ominous enough listening to Mike Catt's blunt condemnation of England's costly tactical fumblings at this World Cup - "We didn't know what we were doing against South Africa" - and the stark truth about his recall - "Brian didn't have a choice, he had to pick me" - as a replacement for the injured Andy Farrell.
Most significant of all, however, were the 36-year-old's raised eyebrows when asked to assess the quality of England's pre-tournament preparations. "Read about it in my book, mate," he sighed, leaving his audience in little doubt that England will bid au revoir to this tournament sooner rather than later.
This is not exactly what English fans wanted to hear on the eve of a World Cup quarter-final. But Catt, in many ways, is underlining what everyone knows. England have done little since arriving in France to justify even modest expectations. They will be brave and defiant yet any real prospect of defending their title disappeared months, if not years, ago. All that is left is bulldog spirit masquerading as thoroughbred intensity.
"We don't share the same sense about the outcome as a lot of other people," protested the head coach, Brian Ashton, doing his best to strike a positive note, and his captain, Phil Vickery, murmured: "If we can get our performance right I'm sure we can make it very difficult for Australia."
Listening to such deliberately sub-Churchillian rhetoric, even so, it was hard to avoid uncomfortable comparisons with the Clive Woodward era when pre-match pronouncements were much more gung-ho. Woodward even said as much in his newspaper column yesterday, implying that a failure to goad the Australians in the build-up to a game of this magnitude was an oversight of Ayers Rock proportions.
Woodward omitted to mention one key difference - you need a good team before you can sledge to good effect - and, in Ashton's defence, England have had cruel luck. At various stages England have now been deprived of a complete three-quarter line: Jason Robinson, Jonny Wilkinson, Jamie Noon, Mark Cueto, Andy Farrell and Olly Barkley, who has failed to recover from a dead leg.
The knock-on effect is Catt will appear alongside Wilkinson today for the first time since the 2003 final in Sydney. While Matt Giteau and Stirling Mortlock have been building the sort of instinctive relationship normally the preserve of cohabiting couples, Catt and Wilkinson have been thrown together like star-crossed lovers.
"I haven't played with Wilko for four years . . . I'm looking forward to it," smiled Catt, aware of the inherent absurdity of the situation. "Why is it only happening now? It's not been my choice, believe me."
Clearly, the 36-year-old sees no point in holding back in advance of what will be his final Test unless Australia turn out to be complacent. England need to follow his example: their scrummaging power gives them at least a puncher's chance and dry weather is not guaranteed. But if Catt is right, cruel reality is about to strike.
Unless they raise their game several gears at the Stade Velodrome the fading champions will be on their bikes.
