WillGreenwood

We can't expect England players to stay cooped up between matches. By being the best players in the country, they have earned the right to get out and explore the local culture of New Zealand, whether that means enjoying a few post-match drinks, bungee-jumping, rafting or whatever else. In Australia in 2003, Clive Woodward was happy for us to wind down between matches. Rugby players aren't monks, they need a release from the pressures of a World Cup and, as long as that doesn't affect their game, they should be trusted.

Last week, I said England might struggle to find their rhythm against a resilient Argentina. So I wasn't surprised to see them huff and puff their way through an uninspired opening performance. The important thing was to win and give themselves a good chance of going through to the next round as Pool B winners.

Indiscipline is less excusable. The referees announced pre-tournament that they would clamp down on certain offences and, if you were to write a text book about how not to begin a campaign, England's first-half performance against Argentina would warrant a chapter. This weekend, as England trade at an un-backable 1.02, the only way Georgia will get into the game is if penalties are conceded and players go to the sin-bin.

The Georgians are a big strong outfit, full of hard, enthusiastic runners who are desperate to make an impression in New Zealand. They were competitive for extended periods of their 15-6 defeat against Scotland but they present England with minimal threat.

Martin Johnson will ring the changes for this match and then select his first 15 for next week's match against Romania. By then, he will hope to have settled on a team that can represent England all the way through this tournament. I'm still backing them to reach the final at 5.1.

The number one, two, five and six shirts are all up for grabs so plenty of players have the impetus to come in and make an impact. After his try last Saturday, I believe Ben Youngs has made the scrum-half position his own. Jonny Wilkinson was criticised for missing penalties in Dunedin but, although Toby Flood is likely to get a start against Georgia, I expect Wilko to continue as England's World Cup fly-half and step up when the pressure is on.

England may lack consistency but they certainly don't want for bouncebackability. A poor performance is usually followed by a good one and I expect them to find momentum this Sunday. I'm backing a try in the first ten minutes and England to cover a 23.5 point handicap. I'm desperate to see a performance full of precision and pace which will exorcise the frustrations of last week. I believe the England players share my conviction. Their World Cup starts now.

Recommended Bets
1pt Back England -23.5 points
1pt Back Over 5.5 Tries in England Tries
3 pts Back Under 1.5 Tries in Georgia Tries
Back 0-10 minutes in First Try Odds

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