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LONDON - Elite rugby director Rob Andrew admits England have a lot of catching up to do if they are to mount a credible World Cup defence.
England have lost 15 of their last 16 away matches and now have just three weeks to turn things around after their recent back-to-back test defeats to World Cup hosts France.
But Andrew, the Rugby Football Union's (RFU) director of elite rugby, remains confident that Saturday's 22-9 defeat in Marseille is not a true reflection of what is to come at the World Cup.
"You need to look at England in the context of what has happened in the last 12 months - the coaching changes that have taken place, the issues we had in the Six Nations and surrounding the South Africa tour," said Andrew.
"England have probably had only five weeks of rugby preparation this summer. They have chosen to train incredibly hard in test match weeks, which is not usual, in order to make up for lost time.
"It is no surprise Brian (Ashton), the coaches and players themselves are a little bit frustrated. The last two weeks haven't taken them where they want to go.
"Clearly, there are some creative and finishing issues they will have to work on in the next few weeks. Big games are won by small margins and England need to find a way of unlocking one or two half chances.
"They have still got a lot of work to do and a lot of catching up to do - but there is a huge determination to do that.
"I'd be surprised if there is a group of players who have worked harder anywhere in the world than England. They have put an enormous amount of foundation work in and they are incredibly determined to deliver on the big stage."
Andrew is confident England now have the foundations from which to launch their campaign in a ferocious group which also features the hard-hitting Tongans and Samoans.
"We know the challenge South Africa will pose and we know from our experiences in the summer what is required to face down the that challenge," he said.
"Physicality, defence and set-pieces are vital at a World Cup. New Zealand have pulled their game in over the last few months.
"The England coaches have worked really hard to put those basic foundations back into our game so we can compete with anyone on that forward front.
"The platform is there. If you don't have that you have got no chance - but we also have to turn the possession and territory into points.
"Clearly Brian and the coaches will be working hard on that over the next three weeks."
A large part of Andrew's brief since joining the RFU has been to help broker a lasting solution with the clubs that ensures England can be competitive on the world stage.
RFU chief executive Francis Baron and management board chairman Martyn Thomas are set to meet with representatives from Premier Rugby next week in the hope of finalising a new long-term deal.
All financial issues and the arrangements for England access have been agreed upon - but one major sticking point is the length of the deal.
"We did our best to make changes but we weren't able to get all the modifications we required and we were left with a structure that wasn't ideal," explained Baron.
"We have made massive strides on this agreement. We are now down to a handful of issues which, by their very nature, are difficult and prickly but we want to sign on the dotted line as soon as possible."
- AFP
