We've Got Two Cup Finals in Two Weeks, Says Worried Ashton

Brian Ashton yesterday warned that his England players must deliver against Samoa on Saturday if they are to salvage any vestige of credibility from the World Cup.

The national coach is well aware that the World Cup holders are running out of time and excuses and that defeat to the Samoans will complete their steep descent from the stars to the gutter.

As Ashton rightly observed at the squad's hotel in Versailles there is now "no hiding place" following their dismal 36-0 loss to South Africa. To avoid becoming the first holders to bow out in the pool stages they need to win both their final Pool A games against the Samoans and Tonga. "We've got two cup finals in two weeks," confirmed Ashton. "Two games, two weeks, two wins, full stop."

Exactly how the management intend to turn this positive mission statement into reality will become clearer today when Ashton unveils his starting XV to face Samoa. There could be at least seven changes, with a fit-again Jonny Wilkinson among those set to return, while Newcastle's Toby Flood has been called up to replace his injured club-mate Jamie Noon. In contrast, however, to the previous day's blunt assessment of the squad's' ability by his defense coach Mike Ford, Ashton insists he still has confidence in players who are becoming a laughing stock in the southern hemisphere.

The former All Black coach Lawrie Mains has described English rugby as "a joke", claiming their squad are incapable of playing modern Test rugby. "They've selected the wrong sort of players, they're too big and slow in the forwards and their game plan is 10 years out of date, if not more," said Mains. "They just lack a basic skill level to play the modern game."

The ex-New Zealand prop Richard Loe also weighed in, describing the aging England side as "looking decrepit" while another front-row stalwart, Bath's Gareth Chilcott, said he had never seen so many disaffected English fans after a Test match. Ashton, nevertheless, remains convinced his team will come good at some point. "I don't accept we haven't got the players," he retorted. "We've got enough good English players to perform better than we are doing. We've just not been able to translate what we're doing on the training field to the pitch."

That persistent failure has led to speculation about tactical differences of opinion between Wasps and Leicester players, while the management have not always appeared to be singing from the same hymn sheet either. What is not in dispute is the public dismay following the South African debacle. "I do accept the criticism," sighed Ashton. "It was a poor performance and we're all involved in it. I've had easier weekends. I'll be honest, I do sit back and watch the team play and wish they were playing in a slightly more balanced fashion. It's something we're striving to do."

Ashton also described criticism of Andy Farrell as "grossly unfair", suggesting the former Great Britain rugby league skipper had played no worse than anyone else. Jason Robinson, meanwhile, says he hopes to be fit for the Tonga game on Friday week while the 35-year-old Stuart Turner is providing front-row cover while the captain Phil Vickery completes a two-week suspension.

Among those in contention for a starting place will be George Chuter, Lewis Moody, Andy Gomarsall, Olly Barkley, Dan Hipkiss and Mathew Tait as Ashton urgently seeks fresh inspiration. "A lot of it is a mindset thing," he said. "I thought in terms of the set-pieces on Saturday night that we outscrummaged South Africa. What we haven't been able to do is take that to the next level. It's incredibly frustrating." His scrummaging coach, Graham Rowntree, was more direct. "There's only one way out for us...we're in a bad place but we'll fight our way out of it."