KEY POINTS:
Only divine intervention can save England from a crushing defeat by South Africa in Saturday's crucial World Cup clash in Paris.
The World Cup holders, says former England coach Dick Best, will pay the price for three-and-a-half years of parading the trophy around the country and failing to clear out the previous regime back in 2003.
Best, one of England's fiercest critics, says that there isn't a shred of evidence to back Springbok coach Jake White's theory that the World Cup holders have been holding back, engaged in kidology to lure the South Africans into a false sense of security.
"Where is the evidence that everything is going to be all right on the night?" he asks. "I see no reason whatever for optimism. Everybody in the coaching set-up and many of the players should have been cleared out, scrapped after 2003. That's the way it is in modern rugby.
"That is exactly what will happen when England get knocked out at this World Cup, probably in the quarterfinals. Then, whoever takes charge for the next four years, has to start with a proper plan to take to the next tournament. What has happened in the last four years has been farcical."
Best blames the self-congratulatory culture that has been riding high in English rugby ever since Martin Johnson and his men took home the Webb Ellis trophy from under Australia's noses back in November 2003. "We have fallen into the classic English trap of patting ourselves on the back for three-and-a-half years.
"Then we suddenly woke up and realised we had to defend the World Cup but it was too late. The signs were there ages ago, the alarm bells were ringing about four matches after that World Cup. But no one heard them, they were too busy celebrating."
It seems to be an English trait. The English cricket team made the same mistake after beating Australia to win the Ashes in 2005. Eighteen months later, after they'd convinced themselves they were the best in the world, England received their comeuppance. They lost the return series 5-0 in Australia and surrendered the Ashes.
"We never seem to learn. All this leads back to Andy Robinson, the former coach. We were going nowhere with him but the RFU took ages to make a decision about his future. Eventually, when it had been left far too late, he left but the damage had long since been done."
Is England's current coaching regime of Brian Ashton and John Wells the right pairing to restore England's fortunes in the future? "I'm just not sure these are the right people to take us forward. Ashton has been left holding the baby and will be made a scapegoat at the end of this abysmal spell. But who would they replace him with? We are thin on the ground."
England are also thin on the ground in playing terms. "We have gone to the World Cup with a side of veterans who are just not up to the task. I hear that Ashton and Wells don't get on, that's said to be half the problem.
"Maybe that explains why England has no discernible pattern. I just can't see how we are trying to play the game. We have kept it up our jumper but you won't get far in world rugby these days with just that approach.
"We have got no concept of what we are going to do with the ball when we win it."
Peter Bills is chief rugby correspondent for Independent News & Media in London
