Stephen Jones has little time for England's use of the Saxons squad as a platform for the future in The Sunday Times.
"When Martin Johnson reveals his 32-man squad for the autumn internationals tomorrow he will have made his choice from such a denuded pool of players that, in comparison, the resources available in Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard would form a menu for a feast.
"Conservative estimates suggested that even before a tough programme of Guinness Premiership began this weekend, about 21 of the 64 players in the England and England Saxons squads would be unavailable for the opening match against Australia in two weeks, and many of them will play no part at all in the autumn season. Johnson will try to take it on the chin but his luck is shocking.
"Yet it is vital to grasp that there is another, far deeper force at work here. There is a disturbing fault in English rugby in the way young England players are developed from the age of 16 onwards, a fault that the injury crisis has merely exacerbated to leave Johnson drastically short of cover. The talent conveyor belt is malfunctioning badly, and England are weakening their teams with a bogus philosophy — of aiming, over-optimistically, for some kind of future vision and letting the present kick them in the crotch."
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