Here’s the criteria for selection: no-one not playing regularly in the Premiership or for Northampton, no-one over 30, and no-one called Johny.

Why do we need the old guard to provide the experience? We have a plethora of player in the 20s with tons of caps between them. Blood some debutants, the likes of Waldouck, Chris Ashton etc, pick a new captain and stick with him and mould a team in Johnson’s image.

It’s a shame the big man isn’t going on the tour, but probably a blessing for him personally. It’s a massive ask yo go down there and beat the Kiwis, but even with a transitional side (aren’t we always?!) I don’t expect a drubbing, injuries permitting.

Forget about getting in the top 4 of the rankings, meaningless anyway – we finished second in our group last year didn’t we…?!

We could play a tight 10-man game against the Southern Hemisphere boys, but I’m not sure that will be enough anyway. I’d be gutted if we took the “keep it tight and select on experience” approach and then missed out on 4th (which is highly probable) AND ended up ranked low and without a core of a new team developed – worst of both worlds.

In any case, the Southern Hempisphere teams would probably find it harder to play against a new-look expansive, risk-taking England anyway – they’d know less about them and are used to edging out forward battles with us year after year. They will as ever, be arriving here knackered at the end of a long season so let’s get the ball moving.

Ever since 1995 we’ve had a mentality of “let’s just play 10-man rugby to get through this difficult season, then it will all change”. Only Woodward ever changed it and he nearly paid for it with his job in 1999, but he was right and kept going and we all know the rest.You only break a cycle like we’ve been in lately by doing something different, so let’s put faith in the young players we’ve got.

I also think we should be wary of overestimating the threat of being picked in a group with a top 4 team – I can remember hearing that we would play SA again in 2003 (after the De Beer dropfest in Paris in 1999) and expecting another thrashing, but by 2002 I was looking forward to the game with relish! I think it’s more about how good a team we’ve got come 2011.

Come matchday in 2011, it won’t matter a toss if the team we’re up against was better than us in December 2008 if Johnno’s developed an England team that’s well prepared and has more than one way to win games and keeps that scoreboard ticking over a la 2003.

Go for it Johnno, we’re all behind you!