The Irish Independent's Vincent Hogan salutes a brave performance from Ireland against their not-so-best buddies South Africa.

"Of all the energies beating in and out of Croke Park on Saturday, maybe the most telling was antipathy. There is always a masquerade of friendship when it's over, of course. Always the same, dutiful recitations of respect. But not everything we had seen fell strictly within the jurisdiction of rugby football and, maybe, the knowledge of that deepened what we felt. For, if there's one thing worse than hostility from the big teams, it's ambivalence.

"The look on Schalk Burger's face as he crossed for the only try had betrayed the Springboks' thinking. Nothing would have given them greater pleasure than to kick on from there, cleaving Brian O'Driscoll and Co into oblivion.

"Just as Drew Mitchell celebrated a Wallaby try like a lotto winner at the Canal End two weeks earlier, Burger too seemed incapable of controlling the electricity in his body. He wrestled for escape from the embrace of team-mates, as if they had cattle prods in their hands. He fell, got up, then fell again. And finally, eyes burning like braziers, he shunted the football high into a refrigerated sky."

Brian Moore, writing in The Daily Telegraph, reviews the contrasting fortunes of the northern hemisphere sides during the November Tests.

“Ireland can claim a place on the short list of great teams of the past 40 years if their young talent is capable of continuing their country's long-awaited ascension. The necessary traits of producing a minimum standard of performance, closing out games and winning when not playing well are rarely attained and only time will tell if Ireland have finally mastered these things. Nevertheless, their win against South Africa shows that all they have to do now is take the final step.

“Welsh supporters should face the possibility that their team's up-cycle has ended and that rebuilding is needed. When coach Warren Gatland is reduced to referring to Australia's kicking something is wrong. Wales had injuries before and during the game, but if fans are honest they know that their side have not played with fluidity for some time. They did not look like breaking the Australian defence, their pack misses Adam Jones disproportionately and the back row is not balanced.

“Whether the necessary changes can been made without losing further ground depends on the claimed depth of talent being real and correct and consistent selection.”

	New Zealand captain Richie McCaw lifts the Dave Gallaher Trophy in Marseille © Getty Images

"This was their best performance of the year, the antithesis of their opening test of the season five months ago against the same opponent. If this is the new standard the All Blacks have set for themselves, then the rest of the world should take some quiet thinking time. The All Blacks in this kind of mood; this kind of form are lethal.

"They ticked all the foundation boxes, except for the scrummaging which was a bit hit and miss, and that was the platform they needed. But this was a performance about the extras, about the way the All Blacks created space and found their attacking vision again."

If Ireland’s victory at Croke Park could be defined by a single moment then Brian O’Driscoll’s thunderous tackle on South African fullback Zane Kirchner in the final throes of a pulsating duel encapsulated a team’s attitude. John Sullivan writesin the Irish Times.

"The Irish captain had no regard for his own physical well being when he launched himself into a collision that would prove crucial to the final outcome. Ireland were stretched paper thin, inside their own 22 with the game clock showing 80 minutes. Some 74,900 spectators held their collective breath as the Springboks propelled themselves towards the potential salvation of a try.

"Those expectations foundered when O’Driscoll emptied Kirchner in the tackle, forcing the concession of a penalty as the stunned Springbok clung onto the ball on the ground, a reflex action. Ireland, the Grand Slam winners had beaten South Africa, the world and Tri-Nations kingpins in the self proclaimed battle of the hemispheres."

In his unique style, Sunday Times rugby correspondent Stephen Jones presents his verdict on the international rugby action this November.

"The rugby was dull...Is there anything in sport as stunningly boring as a slow ruck ball, slowing even further when inserted into another mini-ruck three yards laterally across the field? When the ball finally emerges, great news. The saps in the original ruck have all got back to their feet — just in time for another mini-ruck. Pass me the remote control, the World Paint-Drying championships are on the other side.

"Jonny’s back, but he’s no ringmaster any more...Can Jonny, the icon, still inspire a rugby team with his play, or these days is he relying simply on aura and goalkicking? How wonderful that he negotiated all three games, and how cruel it would be to lay at his door all the frailties and embarrassments of England as an attacking force."

The clouds surrounding English rugby are dark but there is a silver lining and it emanates from Saracens according to Stuart Barnes in the Sunday Times.

"Brendan Venter has an elite crop of outstanding young Englishmen and he is nurturing them beautifully. Alex Goode and Noah Cato represent an exciting fresh generation behind the scrum while Andy Saull has been the revelation of the Guinness Premiership at openside.

"...Then again, Saracens have a clear long-term plan, which does not seem the case with the national team. Venter articulates what many fear is beyond the vocabulary and thought process of the present international management team. “If I was Martin Johnson I would have a plan. I would plot an 18-month project for the best 21-year-olds. I would take more control of them and know their conditioning, workrate, commitment, every area would be sorted.”

England manager Martin Johnson and RFU director of elite rugby Rob Andrew appear to acknowledge that England have barely moved an inch in developmental terms since last year's autumn series. Paul Ackford writes in the Sunday Telegraph.

"Eight of the team that kicked off against the Wallabies had played against Argentina in June, and they were joined by Jonny Wilkinson, two Lions in Ugo Monye and Tom Croft, and Lewis Moody who replaced Steffon Armitage. Far from being a side thrown together, England were in fact reasonably settled, as well as being boosted by the availability of some of their better players.

"...Loyalty to one's mates is one thing, but there is a glaring discrepancy between what Johnson insists is happening on training pitches and in team rooms as England prepare for international matches, and what happens in the Tests themselves. On reflection, that's the issue which is still stalking Johnson's England 14 months after he was appointed, a period in which his team have won six of their 14 fixtures."

The flame bearers for the game need to encourage a meaningful contest for possession at the scrum and after the tackle, according to Eddie Butler in The Observer.

"It was the terrible autumn of rain-drenched rugby, when it was gloomily confirmed that what had been eating into the domestic games of the European countries was now a worldwide pandemic. On two brief Heineken Cup weekends in October there had been a glimmer of hope, that cross-border competition might somehow create a resistance. But no, the rot has spread to all corners.

"It is a sneaky menace, for it strikes on two fronts: the scrum and the breakdown. It only needs to infect the line-out and we shall remember, remember this month of November as the twilight of union and the dawn of global rugby league. Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with league. Love it to bits. But the bearers of the flame of rugby union are charged with offering a sport for all shapes and sizes, and that specifically includes a meaningful contest for possession at the scrum and after the tackle."

Writing in the Indenpendent on Sunday, Richard Wilson probes the two sides of Springboks flanker Schalk Burger.

"There is a profound separation in his life, the certain distinction between that looming, grimacing presence on the rugby field – when it seems as though that 6ft 4in frame is the very essence of all our distilled rage – and the insouciant, almost languid figure off the pitch. Burger, of course, is not the first performer to be so utterly transformed in taking to the field, and sport is nothing if not a means to reimagine so much of yourself.

"But then how do we reconcile the man who is so generously polite, whose voice is so soft and gentle that it lilts so soothingly, with the flanker who showed such callous disregard for the ethics of his sport when he appeared to gouge Luke Fitzgerald's eye in the second Lions Test in Pretoria last June? Maybe we can only accept that Burger, too, still strives to resolve these two aspects of his character."

Rugby is enduring a sudden and unpleasant spell of navel-gazing on a variety of topics according to Gerald Davies in The Times.

"What would have happened had New Zealand not manoeuvred themselves towards failure in the quarter-finals of the 2007 tournament? In the seasons preceding that autumn, they marched to a wonderful tune, playing a mesmerising rugby no one could match for inventiveness and speed of thought. They were the only team to defy an issue that others complained about: that the pitch was no longer wide enough for the “modern” game and caused clutter in midfield.

"New Zealand kicked the ball often, but it is not what we remember of their play. It is Carter, Muliaina, Rokocoko, Mauger, Howlett and so on that rest in the memory. After the 2007 quarter-final defeat by France, the All Blacks’ way never caught on. Kicking became the preferred strategy."

No sooner has Ronan O'Gara been dropped than he has been written off. How soon we all forget, writes former Ireland captain Keith Wood in the Daily Telegraph.

"Is it just me or have we lost all sense of perspective? Sport in general, and rugby in particular, just seems to be sensationalised out of all order. Not every decision is momentous, not every selection make-or-break. I am beginning to feel we are all taking ourselves a bit too seriously.

"In the midst of Ireland's worst-ever floods, the O'Gara-Jonathan Sexton debate has been front-page news. Come on! We love this game, but that is what it is, a game."

If Winston Churchill defined Russia as a riddle, wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, what are we to make of South Africa's volatile rugby coach, Peter de Villiers? So asks Peter Bills in The Independent.

"Winning is not enough in the eyes of the new ruling generation. Turning the Springboks into a team open to players from all backgrounds no matter what the colour of their skin has been a much slower process than most envisaged when de Villiers was appointed.

"True, the Springboks have been graced by the presence of Bryan Habana, JP Pietersen, Adi Jacobs and prop Tendai Mtawarira. But four players in a team of 15 is not enough for the impatient reformers back home. De Villiers has been a crushing disappointment, in their eyes."

Saturday will show that World Cup aspirations are only as strong as a side's reserves, according to Shaun Edwards in the Guardian.

"Remember the inquests after the autumn internationals a year ago? South Africa and New Zealand had cut swathes through European rugby and Wales were the only side to land a blow on a southern hemisphere opponent, Australia. Fast forward a year and things don't look so bad. Fast forward another 12 months and who knows?

"France, Wales, Ireland and Scotland all approach their final games of the autumn this weekend with an eye on the future, not looking over their shoulders. France, having beaten the world champions, South Africa, take on New Zealand, now ranked No1 in the world again. Ireland have the chance of making it a grim autumn for the Springboks, and Wales look to repeat that win of a year ago."

Dylan Cleaver evaluates the ills of the world game, with particular sympathy for Sitveni Sivivatu, in The New Zealand Herald.

"It is not just the All Blacks' season in the dock at Marseille on Sunday morning, the game itself is facing an increasingly hostile jury.

"With the professional rugby season now spanning 10 months, we can no longer use the Shakespearean cliche of this being the winter of our discontent, but perhaps we can turn to Dickens and refer to rugby stadia in 2009 having largely been bleak houses. (Bleak in the major centres at least. Rugby seems to have undergone a rebirth of sorts in the provinces, so the obvious thing to do is cut four of them off at the knees - but that is a whole other story.)

"If you need a poster-child for rugby's ills, consider this: Sitiveni Sivivatu has received rave reviews in the past few weeks, not because of his scintillating running but because of the improvement in his kicking game and kick receipt. Ah, the romance of modern rugby."

According to Peter Bills in The Irish Independent, the northern hemisphere cannot blame the IRB for the current state of rugby.

"The gnashing of teeth and loud wailing from on high among certain members of the Fourth Estate based in the northern hemisphere about the state of the game must be inducing complete bewilderment around the offices of the IRB in Dublin.

"A hue and cry has started, a cause celebre begun. What have those wicked witches at the IRB done to OUR game, they wail? A try has become as rare as a full river in drought-stricken central Australia, games are being kicked to death by the fear factor.

"It's all the fault of the IRB; they've done nothing, sat on their hands and just let the game descend into its current mess. Terrible, terrible people, shouldn't be in charge of a chip shop, never mind a world sport. Huff, huff...

"Of course, by never letting the facts get in the way of a good story, these gentlemen of the profession are able to circumnavigate a few rather important points. In the process, they are also rewriting history."

Gregor Paul is predicting some fireworks from an emotional French side as they take on New Zealand this weekend. Read his thoughts in The New Zealand Herald.

"If anyone is looking for a good bet to make on the All Black test this weekend, stick some money on one of the French players being sent off.

"It's been a while since a red card was shown in a major test, but there is something in the air that makes it feel entirely possible, almost probable, that one of the French players is going to lose it. Really do something memorably violent – a stomp on the head, a punch, maybe even a head-butt (they have got form there in both football codes).

"And for another different sort of bet – how about the All Blacks to win with a drop goal? Even better, how about Luke McAlister coming off the bench to land said dropped goal?

"The irony would be rich but again, there is this unmistakable edge at the moment that suggests things are going to boom at the Stade Velodrome; that this is going to be the most memorable test of the season and maybe not for the right reasons, either."

Phil Wilkins remembers Gregor Townsend's short stay in Sydney club rugby in The Sydney Morning Herald.

"In all the madness greeting Scotland's win over Australia at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, one face shone as broadly as his fast receding forehead, just as when he proved one of the finest five-eighths to play in Sydney club rugby for Warringah.

"Gregor Townsend is 36 now, an ex-Scotland captain and veteran of 82 internationals, a British Lion with pride, so esteemed in the game that he received the MBE in the Queen's Birthday honours of 1999.

"He was just another wandering foreigner - have boots, will travel - a good, young five-eighth with a sense of adventure when he came to Sydney. But Warringah's scouts knew their stuff.

"Townsend soon established himself as one of the classiest, most creative pivots behind the Green Rats' man-eating pack at the old, welcoming tip site, a pivot who attacked the line, could pass short or play the wide-passing game or when the "black nor-easters" blew, kick it a country mile. He was a real pro. He was brave and he tackled."

Mick Cleary has five points that he thinks will right rugby's rapidly sinking ship in The Daily Telegraph.

"The handling code has become anything but, with only 22 tries scored in 23 recent Test matches. The try count across the annual autumn Test series has dwindled from an average of seven per game in 2007 to a measly 2.86 this year.

"Figures from the domestic leagues are no more encouraging. The try count in the Guinness Premiership has nose-dived, from an average of 4.12 tries per game last year to just 2.63 this season. Only five attacking bonus points, for a side scoring four tries in a game, have been awarded in 48 Premiership matches.

"Dull, stodgy, boring, risk-free – it is the motif of the season. The shop window is soiled, and the game is in danger of selling shoddy goods. So, what's to be done?"

Rugby has some answers to deliver on the entertainment debate, writes Owen Slot in The Times.

"Rugby union as entertainment? Traditionalists hold a deep-seated mistrust of their game crossing the line between sport and entertainment. Though, unfortunately for them, the professionalising of the game, by definition, requires rugby to be a public entertainment. There is no getting away from it.

"This has led to the current media debate. The grey, largely unentertaining series of autumn internationals in Europe has us all rushing for the lawbook, which seems to change every week anyway, to see how it can be further tinkered with to produce more entertainment. And those in the southern hemisphere do not know whether to laugh or cry.

"They, in the south, have been calling for change for years. Their game has sought to accentuate the product as an entertainment – and they have been criticised for it up here. So it is, of course, with a big told-you-so that they have been enjoying watching the north come to terms with the idea that we might have got it wrong."

The lack of passion shown by Australia in their loss to Scotland was worse than the result itself when compared to heroic teams of eras past, writes Spiro Zavos in the Sydney Morning Herald.

"It is the complacency in defeat that the Wallabies showed once again at Murrayfield that is infuriating supporters and, no doubt, the coaching staff of the Wallabies. Where is the raging against the dying of the light? When the Wallabies were put out of the 2007 Rugby World Cup in Marseille by a poor England side, the incomparable Stephen Larkham, who could not play on the day, was photographed in tears. These Wallabies prattle on about "the journey" and "taking the positives" out of losses and then go back to their mobile phones.

"The point is that national rugby teams do not win all the time. The All Blacks have lost four Tests this season. One more loss, and they play a resurgent France in Marseilles on Saturday, and they will become only the second New Zealand side since 1903 to lose five Tests in a season (six Tests were lost in 1949). But they have never tolerated their defeats. Nor do the Springboks."

England were level pegging with New Zealand until the start of the last quarter which is more a comment on the All Blacks' failings than England's deeds according to Peter Bills in the New Zealand Herald.

"Only when the forwards at last hammered England into submission with a series of power surges into the home team's 22, and the ball was then moved down the blindside for Jimmy Cowan's try, could New Zealand finally break a resolute, but hardly sophisticated England defence.

"The trouble was, for too long New Zealand let themselves be dragged down closer to England's moderate level than rising above the mediocrity through their own supremacy. Too many players made far too many uncharacteristic mistakes."

The hunger is palpable and, more than ever, you sense Ireland truly are a squad according to Gerry Thornley in the Irish Times.

"The positives outnumbered the negatives. Among the 27 players used over the two autumn games to date, 23 of whom started, there were another three debutants at Test level here. But perhaps the biggest plus was the performance of Jonathan Sexton. He did all that could have been asked, and plenty more.

"It didn’t come as a surprise that Sexton fitted seamlessly into the Irish set-up and performed with such composure and maturity. At 24, he’s had his ups and downs, and had earned this opportunity on the run of good form for months, which in itself suggested he is a pretty cool operator."

Scotland coach Andy Robinson and his staff deserve praise for getting their side to believe in themselves once again. Read David Ferguson's thoughts in The Scotsman.

"The players were the heroes in Saturday's 9-8 victory over Australia, through great teamwork, concentration, dedication and desire, but, crucially, the four pillars the coaches have built for this team of inspiration, motivation, sound technical planning and self- belief were also there for all to see at Murrayfield.

"Remarkably, the team now looks to the possibility of a clean sweep of victories in the autumn internationals if Argentina can be beaten at Murrayfield on Saturday. Three wins out of three was Robinson's target for these games, but after years of under-achievement at international level, few were expecting the kind of swift turnaround of fortunes that has made this goal achievable."

England's former captain, now coach, Martin Johnson believes he is making progress but Twickenham's crowds are still not seeing it according to Richard Williams in the Guardian.

"The present RFU management, having made their choice, continue to promise Johnson security of tenure and the freedom to do the job his way, and with his own people under him.

"Which is all very admirable. But how long do you get, exactly? Johnson was appointed by Rob Andrew, the RFU's director of elite rugby, in April 2008 and picked his first squad three months later. Martyn Thomas, the union's chairman, yesterday went on the radio to repeat his board's pledge to stay loyal to the manager up to and including the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Asked what would happen if no progress is shown in the forthcoming Six Nations tournament, however, there was just the faintest pause before he reiterated the endorsement."

Writing in The Independent, James Lawton pinpoints the moments England's woes were laid bare.

"On one of the few occasions when the line of the sometimes bizarrely dysfunctional All Blacks was even vaguely threatened, Wilkinson attempted a drop goal. The appalling fact was that the lesser of his crimes was to miss.

"It was a truly terrible moment, as though his mind had been turned into mush by the sheer scale of his difficulties. In that moment of philosophical bankruptcy, Wilko announced that England were indeed lost, that their circuit was broken, their confidence in their powers of creativity at possibly an all-time low."

England raised their standards in levelling conditions against a New Zealand side comparatively weak at the sharp end and still finished a distant second, writes Chris Hewett in the Independent.

"When the All Blacks were in possession, the Twickenham pitch seemed twice its normal size. When England had the ball, which was often, there was a postage-stamp look to it. The only time the home side seriously threatened was when Steve Thompson, the replacement hooker, worked a front-of-the-line move with the excellent Simon Shaw and trundled towards the right corner. He was hauled down a few metres short by Carter, who then made a second try-saving tackle on Duncan Bell.

"And so it was that the Twickenham crowd slouched off home, having seen little to tickle their fancy apart from a comical scrap between Thompson and Adam Thomson – an incident straight from the pages of Tintin. This seemed entirely appropriate, given the England management's protestations of progress would not have looked out of place in a comic book."

	Scotland celebrate a famous win while Australia's Matt Giteau hangs his head © Getty Images

"Mark down the date, for this was a performance and a result to write large in the history books. Scotland played with passion, pride and a kind of courage that defies any technical analysis. Statistically, they were barely in the game, but the scoreboard did not lie at the end.

"...There was a sense that Scotland were riding their luck in the early stages, but in the closing moments they played with staggering bravery and heart. As Australia hammered away at the home defence towards the end, taking the ball through 20 phases, the Scots held their nerve and their line."

Writing in The Scotsman, Iain Morrison reflects on Scotland's historic victory over Australia at Murrayfield.

"What was it Ian McGeechan said about the 1997 Lions? "Fifteen-man rugby, without the ball." That described Scotland yesterday because for long stretches the home side were stuck deep inside their own half, engaged in a desperate rearguard action.

"The they-shall-not-pass, stonewall resistance resembled Andy Robinson's Edinburgh at their best. Teams, and especially Scotland, don't become world class overnight but the first and easiest step to take is becoming cussed, sticky and damned difficult to beat at home and that is exactly what the men in blue were yesterday. They did very little with the ball, far too little, you could argue, to justify their win, but every player on the field defended as if their lives depended upon it."

As an exercise in readying themselves for the world champions at Croke Park on Saturday, Ireland's victory over Fiji was useful enough, writes Brendan Fanning in the Irish Independent.

"The highlight for the home team was the debut of Jonny Sexton who hit seven from seven with his goal kicks, punted very well, and made a handful of clean breaks. All of which was enough to secure him the man-of-the-match award, which may well have been a unique occurrence for an Ireland debutant, Sexton kept his defensive end up as well. And now? Well, if we are to move him along then sooner rather than later then he needs to get game time against a first-world nation.

"That won't mean a start against the 'Boks at Croke Park but he needs to get on the pitch at some point because Ireland need another out-half and this boy is in form. Gordon D'Arcy too made a case for himself, and Tom Court at loose head got through a load of work around the field."

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Jim Tucker lays into the Wallabies following their narrow loss to Scotland.

"It may be the worst Test loss by Australia since the 1973 crash to Tonga at Ballymore. Certainly, no Test played by the Wallabies since has been frittered away with such dominance of possession, territory and genuine chances. This was not a loss to the All Blacks but to a team ranked No 9 in the world, for very good reasons."

The obsession with the collision was taken to extremes at Twickenham according to Gregor Paul, read his thoughts in the Herald on Sunday.

"The enormity of the challenge facing the All Blacks became apparent as the teams lined up for the national anthems. That's when it was possible to see just how big this English team is. They don't do small. There were giants everywhere. Simon Shaw just about cast a shadow over the whole ground.

"The two props were definitely old school as they went for miles across the shoulders and didn't thin at the waist. There were even freakishly large men in the backs. Surely there must have been some mistake for Matt Banahan to have taken a place on the wing - he was taller and heavier than Brad Thorn. And there was Ayoola Erinle in the midfield - well it would be more accurate to say he was the midfield."

Writing in the Sunday Times, Stephen Jones insists England's improved display against New Zealand cannot be seen as the start of a recovery.

"The truth must be grasped. This was the least impressive, least dynamic and least effective New Zealand team I have ever seen play at Twickenham. The visitors in black fell so dramatically short of their billing that, frankly, they could have been anybody. Indeed, England’s grim autumn was rather put into perspective by Scotland’s shock 9-8 win over the Australians at Murrayfield.

"In that context, we surely cannot put our hands on hearts and say this was the start of an England recovery. Most certainly, the personnel of this team will change dramatically as the injured legions become available and it will change further if Martin Johnson stops being so pig-headed about some of his more entrenched views. But it does not matter who wears the jersey if the coaches are not giving shape to the team.

Writing in the Wales on Sunday, Barry John heaps more praise on Welsh wing wizard Shane Williams.

"What more can we say about Shane Williams? Already our leading scorer in the try stakes, he raced over for two more individualistic efforts yesterday to turn the course of this game and prove yet again what a superb match-winner he is.

"In doing so, Shane became the first Welshman in history to reach the 50-try tally at international level. That is a fantastic achievement and puts into perspective just what a special player we have been watching over the past six years or so."

Jonny Wilkinson's return serves as a reminder that he is not the man to guide England on his own, writes Eddie Butler in The Observer.

"Against New Zealand, Wilkinson had a chance to seize the moment, with Dan Carter in erratic form in all departments. Wilkinson made a few contributions, tracking back to tackle Zac Guildford when danger lurked, and delaying his pass to Ugo Monye so that the wing had a glimpse of a corridor down the touchline.

"But Jonny is still Jonny, however re-educated he may be in his new guise as a France-based player, however enlightened by the jasmine light of a Tibetan dawn. Whatever his spiritual leanings, he still cannot steer the good old tub of England rugby."

A better effort from England in defeat was not enough to save some battered reputations, writes Hugh Godwin in the Independent on Sunday.

"If the autumn series was a World Cup, England would have been knocked out twice, with this fitfully encouraging but ultimately comprehensive defeat added to that by Australia a fortnight ago. Instead it has been something of a phoney war, with a succession of meaningless baubles such as yesterday's Hillary Shield at stake. The genuine prize is the ability to weed out the weak and improve for the battles to come, even if for Martin Johnson it may feel like picking the diamonds out of the dung."

	England's players need to play like Martin Johnson would have done against New Zealand © Getty Images

Writing in The Telegraph, Mick Cleary calls for England to play with the kind of passion and intensity that Martin Johnson would have shown.

"Will their team show wit and sparkle that might gladden the soul? Or will they retreat into a cocoon of caution again, hoofing and huffing, making grown men weep at the hole in their wallet caused by such mind-numbing rubbish? These are edgy times. These are defining times.

It is time for Martin Johnson's side to play like Martin Johnson: with ferocity, ardour and gumption. Show us your 'mana', as the Kiwis might say. In the image of the man, England have to make a statement at Twickenham on Saturday afternoon: namely, to front up."

Referee George Clancy needs to stop Argentina killing the game against Wales, for the sake of the sport, writes Simon Thomas in the Western Mail.

”With the game of rugby in crisis, there has never been a greater need for a real Millennium Stadium spectacle than this afternoon. The sport that has given us so much pleasure over the years needs to be handled with care if it is not to be destroyed.

We have all become thoroughly fed up of seeing the leather kicked off the ball and attack-minded teams being thwarted by the handling of the breakdown. The game of rugby that we all know and love is in danger of disappearing before our eyes and one man who can help begin the rescue mission today is referee George Clancy.The question is, will the Irishman allow Wales to play or will he let Argentina get away with negative, stifling tactics at the tackle area?”

Australia need to maintain their composure and see off the Scots if they are to salvage any pride from their tour, writes Greg Growden in the Sydney Morning Herald.

"When the Wallabies headed north a month ago, they would have placed the Scotland Test at the bottom of the pecking order. Playing the All Blacks in Tokyo was always going to be tricky. England seem to rise against the Wallabies at Twickenham. And Ireland and Wales have for years on their home turf succeeded in destabilising the Australians. However, Scotland, who have repeatedly suffered massive defeats to the Wallabies, don't hold anywhere near the same aura. That is until this week.

Suddenly, this Murrayfield Test on Saturday has become the most crucial of internationals, with a sense of nervousness overwhelming the Wallabies, a team that has recently become accustomed to failure, and understand the circumstances if they become the first Australian side in 27 years and 17 encounters to lose to Scotland."

	Dan Carter and onny Wilkinson previously clashed during the Lions' tour to New Zealand in 2005 © Getty Images

"Each player in his fashion exerts an all-embracing influence on his team. They do so nowadays not only in the manner of their expert play but increasingly by the mere talk of their presence, which is at once inspiring and debilitating. Their inclusion encourages bravura in others and a puffing of the chest, their absence brings in its place a brittle mood of a team’s only half-belief. This lack of conviction has been less for the All Blacks, while, with his six-year absence, Wilkinson has been a ghostly presence at almost every feast since 2003, a reminder of what might have been for England. His return has been a long time coming.

"Accomplished and distinguished as they are, each has travelled a different path to their present heights. If one is loyal more to technique than to instinct, the other manifests more of a natural “feel” above solid practice, while neither influence, whether of nature or nurture, is totally absent from either supreme performer. Simply, the balance varies."

Rugby in Scotland has moved on hugely in the past decade and in many ways has left the Borders behind, according to David Ferguson in The Scotsman.

"The SRU, squeezed between a rock and a hard place by huge debt, emanating from poor income generation, ambition, marketing and financial acumen between 1995 and 2005, only accelerated that by deciding that the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow would become the focus of pro rugby.

"There remains a burning passion for the oval-ball game in the Borders, but there are real concerns that those harbouring it are dwindling in number. Football has been growing year on year in the Borders and countless young sporting talents now leave the area on a weekly basis for better facilities and competition, across Scotland and south of the border. Rugby is not the attraction it was."

On the evidence of the autumn international matches so far, the great game of rugby union is in a mess. So writes Gwyn Jones in the Western Mail.

"The blame has been laid at the feet of the coaches for being too dictatorial and for demanding such negativity from their teams.

"The finger has also been pointed at the players for their inability to “play with their heads up” and make bold, but correct, decisions. There may be some element of truth in these arguments but on the whole they miss the point. The reason that teams kick so much is because that is the most likely way to win matches."

Martin Johnson's team were never going to overwhelm Argentina so any win against New Zealand would do very nicely according to Shaun Edwards in the Guardian.

"Sorry, but I'm mystified at the fuss. What did people expect? England, minus a hatful of first-choice players, lost to Australia, but then again the rankings say the Wallabies are the third best side in the world. Then England beat Argentina and in that respect you could argue that they punched above their weight.

"OK, it wasn't pretty, but it was a win and another tomorrow against the All Blacks, no matter how ugly, would fit Martin Johnson's bill very nicely thank you. There are not many coaches or managers who would say otherwise."

Brian Moore believes that the IRB must wade in once again to clear up the laws of the game in The Daily Telegraph.

"Safety concerns and the issue of unattractive rugby have both been raised in this paper and elsewhere, because they are now matters which are causing real concern and are widely acknowledged as important. They are not artificial worries, and evidence is widely available to support such apprehension.

"In considering any change let us rid ourselves of the macho notion that rugby is a man’s game and if we want to make it safer we might as well take up ballet dancing. By its nature rugby is a sport of violent collisions and much of the enjoyment derived from playing it comes from that. There will be enough red-blooded contact for any reasonable person when the dangerous and unnecessary practices that have crept into the game are removed.

"High and borderline-high tackles need to be outlawed. How will rugby be poorer if these potentially injurious acts are stopped? A tackler has full discretion as to how he tackles; he is perfectly able to drive an attacker backwards by hitting well below the neck, so why condone tackling that flirts with the possibility of causing damage if it is slightly mistimed or ill-aimed?"

Stuart Barnes, writing in The Times, is clear on his opinion of the man England have to stop at Twickenham on Saturday, no surprises that it's All Black fly-half Dan Carter.

"There is a chink of light for Martin Johnson as the agony of the autumn series draw to its finale with the visit of New Zealand. Such has been the paucity of wit, invention and quality that nobody really thinks England have a chance of beating the All Blacks and therein is the opportunity.

"An inexperienced manager seems paralysed by the fear of losing and the team play as if paralysed by fear of the big brooding boss man. The operation has frozen to a halt and all the hard work in the world will mean nothing until that fear is overcome.

"On cue, enter the All Blacks; they are clearly not a vintage New Zealand team. Graham Henry has learned the lesson England refuse to heed; that there are some matches more important than others. All the dominance in the world counted for nothing when France beat them in the quarter-finals of the World Cup. With the next tournament in New Zealand it is safe to say that Henry is building slowly for this event."

Stephen Jones lays in to the aura surrounding South African props in The Times.

"Once we get a supposed national characteristic into our heads, a national trait or a so-called national strength, there is no shifting it. It becomes a consuming dogma.

"You know the sort of thing: West Indies produce great fast bowlers. The French are rude and shocking drivers. The Scots are tight as ducks' backsides. Wales produces wonderful sports journalists. Aussie and Kiwi referees are scandalously bad. Germans hog the towels on holiday. Well, most of these notions are just typecasting. Most.

"And South Africa produces great props. What a load of drivel. I admit it, I have subscribed to this hoary old rubbish. It is not true. It never was. South Africa is the home of Big Blokes Going Backwards."

Peter Bills has no time for the excuses offered by England in the wake of their defeat to England in The Independent.

"England play rugby like constipated diners and people express surprise. But why?

"So much remains wrong with the England set-up, just as it has been wrong since 2003, that it is no wonder English rugby is becoming the laughing stock of the world game. The hopeless, hapless Australians turn up at Twickenham after a nightmare season in the southern hemisphere including their seventh straight defeat by a New Zealand side, miles short of the greats that hallmark All Blacks history. Yet the Wallabies are far too good for England.

"A weakened Argentina would have won at Twickenham had they possessed either Juan Martin Hernandez or Felipe Contepomi. And, joke of all jokes, England go on about being without so many key players. Well yes, they have missed guys like Phil Vickery and Simon Shaw. But do these two worthy warriors represent England's idea of the future? Vickery is 33, Shaw 36."

David Hands runs the rule over Martin Johnson's latest England side in The Times.

"While there will be applause for Ayoola Erinle's good fortune at winning his place in England's starting XV against the All Blacks, it is hard to resist the suggestion that an under-fire management is no nearer knowing their best side at the finish of the autumn series than they were at the start.

"Granted, they have been hamstrung by injuries that have removed an entire side, many of them players on whom England invested so much time last season as the graph edged slowly upwards. But having fixed on the players available for the three matches in the Investec Challenge series, there should have been more evidence by now of what they are required to do.

"An opportunity was lost against Australia and it took an age to see off Argentina last weekend. Even New Zealand are not as strong as they usually are but they will start as rank favourites because they have a mastery of the basics that has, thus far, eluded England. This is an England side picked for one reason only, to win the next game by any hook or crook and buy time for a rethink, or for injured players to recover in time for the 2010 RBS Six Nations Championship."

Martin Johnson should be looking to youth rather than experience against the All Blacks this weekend, writes Chris Hewett in The Independent.

"Simon Shaw, recent autobiographer and senior citizen of the red-rose engine room whose exploits for the British and Irish Lions on the high veld of South Africa last summer could not have been more energy-charged had he been in his late teens rather than his mid-30s, was back in camp yesterday as England launched their preparations for this weekend's meeting with the New Zealand at Twickenham. No doubt Shaw performed brilliantly in training, reminding Martin Johnson– the man who kept him out of the national side for years – of his all-embracing skill set ahead of the last, and most thankless, of this year's Tests.

"Yet Shaw's reappearance at this point might drop England even deeper in the mire with regards to the next World Cup, now less than two years – and no more than 17 internationals – away. Will Shaw be on the plane to Auckland in the early autumn of 2011? There is more chance of the Prime Minster spell-checking his shopping list. Courtney Lawes, who sat on the bench as second-row cover against Argentina last weekend but failed to make it onto the field, will not be 36 for another four World Cups. One of these men represents the future. The other goes by the name of Shaw."

Ireland coach Declan Kidney needs to exploit the squad system against Fiji this weekend, writes Tony Ward in the Irish Independent.

"Despite the euphoria of the final minutes at Croke Park on Sunday, nobody in this Irish camp will be lulled into any false sense of security. To have eked out a draw at the death was a remarkable achievement, given the trend of play for most of the game's opening hour. Prior to Cian Healy's barnstorming run - which was a watershed moment in the game's momentum - it was the Wallabies in control, dominating both the scrum and breakdown to an alarming degree.

"In the end, perhaps there was an element of luck about snatching the draw, but when you battle the physical odds and run yourself into the ground then you earn whatever return comes your way. As ever, Declan Kidney was extremely generous in his post-match summation when insisting, ‘you cannot coach attitude’. We all know what he means, but equally, I would contend it is the main man who is responsible for inculcating that never-say-die attitude into the squad."

Australia have plenty still to play for, despite losing out on a grand slam, writes Spiro Zavos in the Sydney Morning Herald .

"The grand slam quest for the Wallabies is over, stopped cruelly in its tracks with a last-minute try by Brian O'Driscoll playing in his 100th Test. The try was under the posts so the Wallabies were denied even the fleeting hope of a missed conversion which would have provided them with a miraculous escape.

"They have to regard the 20-20 draw against the best team in Europe as a sort of loss. Both of Ireland's tries were scored under the posts. Ronan O'Gara's first conversion was close to being charged down as the kicker leisurely walked in to make his strike. He took no chances with his second conversion.

"The Wallabies' new quest must be to beat Scotland and Wales. They have played two strong Tests in a row. Now they must play two more. If they defeat Scotland and Wales they will become the second-best Australian grand slam-aspiring tourists. The 1984 Wallabies won their grand slam. The 1947-48 side defeated England, Ireland and Scotland but lost to Wales. This side did not have a try scored against it in its grand slam Tests."

The All Blacks must be convincing against England on Sunday for the benefit of the sport, writes Gregor Paul in the New Zealand Herald .

"The important thing for the All Blacks to remember when they play England this week is to leave no room for ambiguity. The Poms have to get their beans. They have to be humiliated - they have to be given the equivalent of a pants down smack on the backside from matron in front of the other boys.

"This isn't just because it feels good to ridicule them on their home ground - to see the self-styled governors of the game take some from the colonial upstarts. It's also because England, for the good of the world game, have to dispense with the guff they have served so far under Martin Johnson and find a new path."

The All Blacks need to be asking serious questions about their own technical expertise according to Gregor Paul in the New Zealand Herald.

"The problem has been there all season. It's just been hard to see, partly because neither Australia nor South Africa were good enough up front to fully expose the All Blacks' scrummaging weaknesses and partly because the dysfunctional lineout grabbed all the attention.

"The All Blacks have regressed significantly in an area where they could recently have claimed to be the best in the world. The departure of Carl Hayman in 2007 was the beginning of the slide. No side can lose a man of his calibre and not feel it."

New Scotland coach Andy Robinson deserves praise after his players executed a well-planned strategy. Hugh MacDonald writes in The Herald.

"There is one leader of a Scotland side who is under pressure to depart but the coach of the national rugby side has made an impressive start. Andy Robinson was assailed by intemperate criticism on the airwaves before he encountered the press in the formal post-match conference after defeating Fiji 23-10 on Saturday but there was much to be encouraged by in a comfortable victory.

"Yes, this was a weakened Fiji team. Yes, Scotland were inconsistent, regularly sloppy in the second half. Yes, the pace drained from the performance suddenly, almost alarmingly. But this was a Scotland victory over a team ranked higher than them in world terms. Most importantly, Robinson made big decisions and he got all of them right."

Brian O'Driscoll's last throw of the dice capped Ireland's relentless attacking display, according to Hugh Farrelly in the Irish Independent.

"While rustiness, aggressive Australian play and Kaplan's inconsistency contributed to an uneven performance, the most encouraging aspect from an Irish point of view was the obvious expansion of their attacking play, with all of the backline receiving regular ball to run onto, which is essential if this side is to reach the heights they aspire to."

Writing in the Irish Times, Gerry Thornley reports on Ireland's last-gasp draw with Australia at Croke Park.

"Ironically, the game began and ended on set moves to release Brian O’Driscoll; the first of them coughing up a seven-pointer for Australia to open the scoring, the second to earn Ireland a last-ditch reprieve. That rather summed up the patchy nature of Ireland’s performance, for in between times O’Driscoll scarcely received a ball, and one that he did came with a red cross on it.

"Ireland did try to broaden their canvas by opting to play what they saw on a good few occasions, and even daring to counter-attack. By contrast, Australia varied less from their well-honed play book – save for the odd spark of genius by Matt Giteau – but established a controlling foothold for long stretches with their attacking patterns."

	England manager Martin Johnson looks on at Twickenham © Getty Images

"Last season it was Johnson's fist thumping into the Croke Park seating that encapsulated his frustration. Here, it was his very demeanour. There was only one positive from the torturous victory over Argentina, namely that it was a win. Everything else, bar the clattering resilience of Lewis Moody, was grim, grim, grim. It was quite the most awful performance seen at Twickenham.

"Johnson invariably masks his true feelings. An hour or so after the referee, Nigel Owens, had brought a merciful end to proceedings, Johnson stood, hunched and world-weary in the gymnasium of Twickenham's west stand. A swinging punch-bag might have made a better outlet for his pent-up frustration. Instead it was a battery of notebooks and microphones."

What hope is there for an England side still flailing for direction? The Times' David Hands offers some answers.

"The lineout worked well and that is not the best feature of New Zealand’s game just now. England stole four Argentina throws and lost only one. They provided a decent platform from which the back division should have created more than a poorly constructed kicking game. Moreover, they prevented Argentina playing the ball off the floor, rolling the maul or picking and driving, and therefore removed one of their most potent weapons."

Martin Johnson's expression summed up a wretched display, alarmingly short of any creativity in attack, against an inexperienced Pumas side, writes Chris Hewett in the Independent.

"No one died of shock when England ran out of attacking ideas – or rather, ran on without attacking ideas – against an Argentine side featuring two new flankers plucked out of playschool, a pair of half-backs sharing the grand total of seven caps and a goal-kicking debutant in the centre. The way they are performing these days, the England team would struggle to put a try past Mothercare. But this latest in a long line of misfires was not without its surprises, the most notable of which was the expression of utter despair on the managerial features both during and after the proceedings."

Writing in the Guardian, Rob Kitson sees little in England's latest performance to worry the All Blacks.

"Some people will argue this was progress from an English point of view. Presumably they also believe the earth is as flat as an ironing board and that Elvis is still alive and well. Martin Johnson's face betrayed a very different reality on Saturday evening and the dark shadow of New Zealand now looms. Winning ugly is perfectly acceptable but when it involves such creative bankruptcy it offers little lasting comfort.

"If the All Blacks analysts plan to sit through the entire DVD of this wind-blown carcass of a game, good luck to them. As a rule of thumb they should imagine the least dynamic attacking display an England team could possibly deliver on home soil and consider lowering the bar from there. For all the home forwards' set-piece organisation and resilient late defence, there was scant evidence the All Blacks are about to be ram-raided on the same ground this weekend."

Writing in Wales on Sunday, Graham Price says Wales' problems in the scrum will only get worse when they take on Argentina next weekend.

"We lost our way in many respects and we did not put points on the scoreboard when we had the opportunity. Because of that we almost came unstuck. But we can’t make the same mistakes against Argentina because their forwards will look to take you on and punish you. Argentina are always going to put teams under pressure at the scrum – and they will relish the chance to do that to Wales at the very first scrum on Saturday.

"This game is where we are really going to miss the presence of Adam Jones as the cornerstone in our scrum. Argentina are one of the best scrummaging sides in world rugby and if they get Wales in the attacking position that Samoa did late in the game on Friday they will be looking for a penalty or penalty try."

David Walsh interviews Springbok skipper John Smit who says the Lions series failed to capture his imagination - all because of a snubbed drinks invitation in The Sunday Times.

“The biggest disappointment for me,” Smit said in his just published autobiography, Captain in the Cauldron, “was that there was no socialising between the teams, due to a fair amount of bad blood.” Now, sitting in a hotel overlooking the Place du Capitole in Toulouse, he tells of a relationship between the teams that was never better than hostile.

“I had been getting our management and players to invite all our oppositions to join us for a beer in the changing room area immediately after the match. We do our media stuff, shower and then share a beer with the guys we’ve played against. On the Wednesday before the first Test in Durban, we threw the invitation out to the Lions. They said, ‘Thanks, but no’. They didn’t want to do that. It was quite disappointing and it didn’t help how the games were played.

“There was an unnecessary amount of niggle, chirping, pulling and pushing, and it overtook what should have been an amazing contest between the Lions and Springboks.”

There may have been plenty of new faces on show at Murrayfield yesterday, but writing in The Scotsman Richard Bath says there were plenty of old failings on show.

"This was billed as a spectacular welcome to the dawn of the new-look Scotland. There was a new coach, new newcomers, new skipper and the new sound of Andy Robinson spontaneously combusting in the goldfish bowl for much of the second half. And no wonder the man charged with reviving Scotland's fortunes was feeling the heat – if there was much that was new yesterday, the same old frustrations were there in spades.

"If there were only a limited number of pointers to the long-term shape Robinson's new Caledonian order will take, it was hugely refreshing that he was willing to blood a whole raft of players. If he couldn't match Fiji, who had five new caps on the pitch and the same number on the bench, this was nonetheless the most significant mass initiation of Scotland players since Derrick Grant fielded half a dozen debutants in Jeremy Campbell-Lamerton, Finlay Calder, David Sole, the Hastings brothers and Matt Duncan for what turned out to be a momentous Five Nations win over France in 1986.

"Yesterday wasn't as drastic, or as successful for that matter, as that seminal 1986 match, which proved to be a watershed in Scotland's fortunes. But Robinson's first match at the helm was nonetheless unprecedented in recent years."

Writing in The Sunday Times, Stuart Barnes despairs at England's management team and direction.

"The weight of planning is burdening a side for whom excitement is anathema. Hence, the aimless kicking of the England team. Against Argentina it was enough, but next week against New Zealand will be different.

"Twickenham will always love Jonny Wilkinson. He plays with immense integrity but his tactical kicking bordered on the inept in the first half. Poor against Australia, it was woeful yesterday. A repeat effort against New Zealand will be punished by an All Black team who thrive on turnover and loose kicking. Wilkinson’s first-half kicking would be gift-wrapping.

"There is a lack of true leaders in this team and that, more than anything else, has been the factor behind England’s failure to make any progress under Martin Johnson. Steve Borthwick’s captaincy comes under regular scrutiny. He calls a mean lineout but when the script invariably is torn up by opposition who refuse to perform their expected role, he is forlorn."

Eddie Butler pays tribute to Brian O'Driscoll's 2009 rejuvination on the morning of his 100th Test cap in The Observer.

"Then something utterly extraordinary happened, one of the great sporting reinventions of the age. Maybe it was Leinster's catalogue of failure that drove him, perhaps it was Ireland's inability to go the whole hog in the Six Nations. Perhaps he didn't like the sneers.

"But suddenly there was this force of nature at work on the rugby field, not flowing, long-locked, in midfield, but strutting into confined quarters and seizing the ball reserved for forwards and showing them the way to the line. O'Driscoll had always been a try-scorer – Ireland's record-holder with 36 – but not like this.

"If it was a sign of more thrust from close range and less of the purr from afar, O'Driscoll then showed that there was plenty left in the tank. In defence he began to be more conspicuous than ever, flying into tackles all over the shop, bouncing back to his feet and looking for more. Gone was the winking, lop-sided grinner. In his place was this lunatic with a glint in his eye, looking for trouble."

The All Blacks' scrum was taught a lesson by Martin Castrogiovani and friends in the San Siro, according to Gregor Paul in The New Zealand Herald.

"Wyatt Crockett had a big fork stuck in him by Martin Castrogiovani. The big Italian prop, looking more like a base player from a grunge band, educated young Crockett in the ways of the dark arts.

"It was man versus boy. It was car meeting truck. It was really quite hard to watch at times. In the last five minutes the Italians were toying with the All Blacks. Down they'd slam and the All Blacks would crumple. On it would go until Neemia Tialata was sent to the bin. The Italians could only wonder why they weren't awarded a penalty try. They deserved one. They deserved something more for the control they were exerting.

"From the scrum, the Italians drew inspiration. It gave them the confidence to attack the All Black forwards at the collision. It gave them the confidence to work the rolling maul and they were effective. It's a different game in these parts and the All Blacks will face more of the same against England and France."

Wales' narrow victory over Samoa was too close for comfort according to John Hopkins in The Times.

"Perhaps it was the horrible, liverish yellow shirts they were wearing or was it that Wales were slightly overconfident? Do they think themselves better than they are? They should not now because Wales were given the fright of their lives before squeaking home at the Millennium Stadium.

Credit to Samoa, even though ultimately they could not do what they had done to Wales three times before in their six previous meetings and win. But they went so close. Wales had all the possession for most of the game yet could score only one try and when Samoa attacked and attacked in the last quarter, when they, supposedly the less fit side, should have been tiring, they made Wales look nervous, ragged and far from composed."

Writing in The Times, Lewis Stuart previews Scotland's opening clash of the autumn against Fiji.

"Forget Fiji, the biggest challenge for Scotland’s players this afternoon, when they play the Pacific Island nation at Murrayfield is to show that they can live with expectation. In his first game as head coach, Andy Robinson, has laid down the standards he is demanding and has made it clear that he will not accept players falling short.

"On paper, it is a dangerous match for his side. Fiji are a place ahead of Scotland in the international rankings and the last time the teams met, during the 2003 World Cup, they were in the lead until the 77th minute."

The fall-out from an England defeat to Argentina would be calamitous - it's a game they dare not lose, writes Mick Cleary in the Daily Telegraph.

"The bad weather buffeting Twickenham will be as nothing to the storms whipped up by Argentina as they set out to repeat their landmark victory of three years ago.

"..The Pumas are nowhere near as strong as they were in 2006. They are missing their world-class playmakers, Juan Martín Hernández and Felipe Contepomi, and have a raw-looking back line. True, England manager Martin Johnson has his own long list of casualties, but he has time, money and resources on his side.

"Nine years ago, Johnson was at the head of the England picket line as the players staged a 24-hour strike a few days before this fixture. There were times last Saturday when it looked as though England were withdrawing their labour again."

After forwards' poor performance against Australia, coach will face tough questions if Argentina's eight come out on top today at Twickenham, according to Rob Kitson in the Guardian.

"England will wear purple today but there is nothing regal about the way they have been performing. Up and down the kingdom the widespread view is that Whoopi Goldberg would stand more chance of rousing an English pack than John Wells. The latter is a loyal servant and a tireless glutton for punishment yet England's record since his installation as forwards coach in May 2006 has mostly been poor. Even Wells used the word "turgid" to describe last week's effort against Australia, which was dangerously honest of him.

"Slow ball, ponderous thinking, few carries, precious little momentum ... all the familiar skeletons duly re-emerged after a promising first quarter. The post-match stats revealed the starting front five carried the ball 11 times for a grand total of, ahem, 11 yards. With Jordan Crane getting nowhere at No8, it was as well Lewis Moody and Jonny Wilkinson tackled everything in sight and that James Haskell and Dylan Hartley supplied some late thrust."

Shaun Edwards's offers a tactical breakdown of England v Argentina in the Guardian.

"Forget the tactical nuances, Argentina are in town and the big men love nothing better than throwing their weight around – actually weight and a fair bit of technical know-how when it comes to scrum time.

While England have struggled to find a front row the three Argentinians, Rodrigo Roncero, Mario Ledesma and Martín Scelzo, have been together for some time. They know their business and on days like today when rain is forecast can be match winners. In short, an awful lot is going to depend on England's tight-head and anchor, Duncan Bell. If he goes backwards, the link between backs and forwards at the scrum breaks down."

	Australia's Ben Alexander takes on the England defence at Twickenham last weekend © Getty Images

"The Australian behemoth bruiser in the front-row knows this only too well, after the brush with death which forced him into a Damascene conversion that would utterly transform his approach to his life and career.

It all began so innocuously, albeit painfully, when he shattered his right leg playing for the Canberra Vikings club side four years ago, snapping his tibia and fibula clean in half. If only that were the extent of his travails, as Alexander, one of world rugby's rising stars, recounted in Dublin this week.

"It was the second or third day in hospital when they discovered I had breathing problems," he recalls. "Then an embolus (in essence, a migratory blood clot) formed in my lungs and there was also some bone marrow threatening to enter into my bloodstream."

David Pocock is a natural born leader. A future Springbok altered by fate into a potential Wallaby captain. Living proof that early experiences mould people into manhood, so writes Gavin Cummiskey in the Irish Times.

"Growing up “in a tiny, backward town in the middle of Zimbabwe” his childhood coaches said he would one day play for South Africa (this being the unnatural process for a country constantly raided of talent by South Africa, much like New Zealand and Australia cherry pick from the Pacific Islands). Then irrevocable change descended upon his native land. Neighbouring white farms were violently seized with the Robert Mugabe regime of terror encouraging such practice.

Jane Pocock: “Things were pretty scary on the farm. I remember going into his room one night and he had a loaded shotgun next to his bed. A big fishing knife tucked into his mattress. I remember saying to him ‘Dave, my boy, you don’t have to . . . ’ and he said, ‘Mum, if they come I have to help Dad protect us. As a mother it just about broke my heart.” Andy Pocock: “It’s not right for a 12-year-old kid. It’s just not right.” It took the family two years to get out of Zimbabwe. Nine months in South Africa followed before a brief stint in New Zealand eventually saw them rediscover some form of normality in Brisbane. Rugby gradually took over the teenagers life."

Writing in the New Zealand Herald, Dylan Cleaver questions the impact a new Super Rugby franchise will make in Melbourne.

"The all-New Zealand Sanzar panel of David Kirk and retired High Court judge Barry Paterson QC determined that the Port Elizabeth-based Southern Kings bid had a stronger business model and rugby tradition, a better playing base and was further advanced in terms of rugby readiness.

Melbourne, on the other hand, offered stronger commercial benefits - so the Melbourne Rebels got the gig. Sounds more like dollars-and-cents than common sense.

"Remember, too, that the hearts of Melburnians have been bought by one of the city's nine AFL teams. Even league, a more Australian sport than union, has struggled, the Melbourne Storm having the third-lowest average crowd this year despite being the NRL's best side."

Writing in The Times, David Hands analyses the issues to be addressed by a medical conference in London.

"A conference starting today at Lensbury, in Teddington, southwest London, will begin the process of discovering whether the game has become too dangerous for its own good.

"Medical experts from every one of rugby’s leading countries are involved in the two-day session towards the end of a year that has brought accusations that players have become too big, that referees are ignoring significant aspects of play that lead to injuries and that the demands made on leading players have become far too great."

Writing in The Times, Gerald Davies says the time has come for the game to embrace a mid-season break.

"Whereas, of course, the 10 to 12-week off-season break in the summer is an important recuperative period, it should not be solely at the expense of other breaks. The timing of short breaks for players during the season, and the management of those individual players’ breaks to help the body and mind to rest, is a justifiable aim. During the Lions’ ten-match, seven-week tour last summer, the collaboration between Ian McGeechan, his coaching team and the medical staff ensured the right balance of on-field commitments for the players.

"This relationship was beneficial to everyone. Only two players appeared in six matches, all the others made appearances in five games or fewer. Time off was critical and it helped substantially. Nevertheless, there were serious injuries."

The Times' David Hands talks to referee Nigel Owens ahead of another busy run of high-profile games for arguably the world's most-respected official.

"There is some distance between Twickenham and Bancyddraenen Mountain to the east of Carmarthen. There is, quite literally in this case, a lifetime between refereeing an international sporting occasion tomorrow in front of more than 75,000 people and a man driven by the depths of depression to attempt to take his own life.

"It is an indication of the regard in which Nigel Owens is held that not only will he handle England’s game against Argentina this weekend but he has also been awarded the plum fixture of this month. He will referee the match at Croke Park on November 28 between Ireland and South Africa that not only brings together the holders of the grand slam and the world champions but is also redolent of the outstanding three-match series last summer between the Springboks and the Lions, who were so heavily influenced by Ireland players."

When the curtain rises on Scotland's international season it is very unlikely that those at Murrayfield will expect more than the new coach Andy Robinson. David Ferguson writes in The Scotsman.

"Robinson is not known to do anything by halves, though he was probably wise not to reveal his target for fear of having it thrown back in his face, but there can be no doubt that the new man is setting the bar high. Scotland have only once won three autumn Tests back-to-back, when Ian McGeechan and Jim Telfer led the team to victories over Romania, South Africa and Fiji in 2002. Not even that pair, however, launched their various tenures as head coaches with three consecutive Test wins."

The sport as a spectacle is suffering as the world's two best Test sides resort to the boot, according to Shaun Edwards in the Guardian.

"So does running rugby pay? Obviously not for the second-best team in the world and not for a man who is arguably the best fly-half currently playing. But look elsewhere and you discover that the best team in the world, South Africa, kick even more frequently.

Why? Well one reason is that both sides do it well. Last Saturday, when the All Blacks were under pressure in the first half, Carter twice found touch nearly 60 metres downfield and the Springboks have probably the best kick/chase game around. Marry a brilliant lineout with the ability of their backs to behave like siege guns and you have quite a Test-winning tool.

However, with the game as it now stands, even less gifted kicking sides are mugs if they don't follow suit. Some call it patience, others say it's merely playing the odds, which have been stacked against running rugby."

England prop Duncan Bell is in bullish mood but doubts over English muscle remain after Australian performance. He talks to the Independent's Chris Hewett.

"Quite whether the Pumas will spend tonight fretting over the hard-nut element in the England eight is a moot point: they have, after all, armed themselves with the likes of Rodrigo Roncero and Martin Scelzo, not to mention the implacably competitive Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe. Indeed, it is generally assumed that if England manage to win, it will not be by beating up the tourists at scrum, ruck and maul.

"It is the sort of assumption that gets on the nerves of players like Duncan Bell, the tight-head prop recalled to the starting line-up for the first time since the spring of 2005. "It's true to say that the Pumas bring a high degree of physicality to their game – that when they pull on the shirt, they rise to the badge, as it were," said the 35-year-old Bath front-rower. "But so do we. We're passionate people as well, and we want to win as badly as anyone."

Stuart Barnes previews England's make-or-break showdown with Argentina at Twickenham on Saturday in The Times.

"There is a lurid sense of anticipation concerning this game between the world's sixth and eighth-rated teams. The days of Argentina being a push-over are long gone, but with Juan Martin Hernandez and Felipe Contepomi both absent there is a threadbare look to their back line. Yet the last time Argentina played and beat England at Twickenham they needed only eight forwards and a kicking machine to claim the win. They certainly possess a strong pack with men such as Rodrigo Roncero and Patricio Albacete laying claim to being among the finest exponents of their grinding style.

"England will not want – or should not want - to trundle around for the long periods of play, like they did against Australia. Otherwise they could find themselves ground into the green grass of Twickenham. Presumably the inclusion of Dylan Hartley and James Haskell is an attempt to remedy this possibility.

"With New Zealand coming fast on the horizon this is a game that Martin Johnson’s team has to win. England need more dynamism up front and more deception behind the scrum. The management are on trial as much as the team for whom only Jonny Wilkinson and Lewis Moody emerged with any real credit from last Saturday’s debacle against Australia."

Paul Rees talks to the Samoan squad as they get back to rugby following the devastating Tsunami in The Guardian

"Samoa will play their first international on Friday since a tsunami hit the South Pacific island at the end of September, wiping out entire villages and killing 123 people. The team are used to lacking the preparation of the major playing nations but the disaster has given it an added dimension with their head coach, Fuimaono Tafua, among the homeless and unable to join his players in Wales until last night because he was making arrangements for his family.

"There is complete devastation on the island," said the forwards coach, Peter Fatialofa, who captained Samoa when they defeated Wales in Cardiff in the 1991 World Cup. "People are still sleeping under coconut trees and in tents and their suffering is a big motivation for us on this tour. I was in New Zealand when the earthquake struck 10 minutes before the tsunami and I was on the phone talking to a friend when it happened. Those in my village were fortunate because they had a hill to run up but the coach's village was surrounded by flat land and many lives were lost.

"I flew to Samoa the following day after learning two of my extended family had died and it is hard to describe what I saw: you had to be there to appreciate the havoc that had been wrought. New Zealand and Australia offered help immediately and we are very grateful to the Welsh Rugby Union, which has launched a number of fundraising initiatives this week. A lot of aid has come in and building programmes have been started, but it will take a while to get the infrastructure back to where it was. It is an emotional time for all of us but we are determined to do well."

Chris Rattue hails Dan Carter as the greatest fly-half of them all, despite his recent misdemeanour, in The New Zealand Herald.

"As the jeers swirled around Cardiff's magnificent rugby temple a shiver went up the spine, in a living room a world away, and not only because the Welsh passion for this often distressingly turgid sport was giving life to our troubled national obsession.

"Hand on a cold rugby heart, we are watching the finest first five-eighths who has ever played this game. Daniel Carter may be in rugby's rickety dock for his grand slam on a Welshman, but he has moved even further into rugby lore, and rightly so.

"What Carter delivered at the Millennium Stadium was what legions of rugby fans from any country would expect from their heroes, an explosive (if ultimately misjudged) effort to cut down an opposing attack at the pivotal moment in a match.

"Carter's crushing hit lowered the replacement Welsh halfback Martin Roberts like a sack of coals, immediately mining years of Welsh discontent as a replay screencast repeated an instant judgment on a tackle that would have been lauded in darker ages."

Brendan Gallagher recalls his first meeting with Brian O'Driscoll as the Ireland centre prepares for his 100th Test in The Daily Telegraph.

"That fella's the future," insisted the great man. "He will end up as the greatest ever player from this island. Come and meet Brian O'Driscoll, you will be spending half a lifetime writing about him."

“At that moment the future of Irish rugby was assaulted by a sudden blast of high-pressure therapeutic water from an unsuspected subterranean source and was sent sprawling and cursing in a manner few opponents have managed to emulate.

“A decade on – it seems considerably less – O'Driscoll is still making a splash. On Saturday, against Australia at Croke Park, he will be logging his 100th Test match, 94 for Ireland and six for the Lions. He does not really want a fuss, but there is more chance of disgraced former prime minister Charles Haughey being made a saint than this milestone not being celebrated.”

	Wallabies skipper Rocky Elsom lifts the Cook Cup at Twickenham © Getty Images

"On a night when the Wallabies' young pups took over proceedings, it was Genia who set the tone, with an authoritative approach that succeeded in taking the pressure off five-eighth Matt Giteau and Cooper. Genia's continued sniping attracted much of the England forwards' focus, leaving them little opportunity to charge at the Australian midfield.

"...The emotion after the win was clear for all to see and it was not surprising. The Wallabies had endured a long and frustrating Tri Nations campaign, particularly in their Bledisloe Cup clashes. So they enjoyed this victory, spending a long time on the field after the match thanking supporters and posing for photographs. But they also made certain they did not get too carried away when they stood on the official rostrum to receive the Cook Cup. There was no jumping up and down, just modest waves."

If this tour wasn't already hard enough, now the All Blacks will have to watch out for officials determined to show they are not intimidated by the touring side, so writes gregor Paul in the New Zealand Herald.

"Wily old fox that he is, Gatland knows the damage to his side can't be fixed. The moment has gone. But what he has done is ensure that Stuart Dickinson (Italy test), Jonathan Kaplan (England test) and Alain Rolland (France test) will all be asking themselves if they have the courage to make tough calls against the All Blacks at critical times. Gatland's comments will be locked in their heads now, and all three referees will be conscious they can't back down; they can't be seen to be in awe of the All Blacks."

Groundhog Day comes to Twickenham as Martin Johnson’s team appear to be stuck in a perpetual state of development, writes Owen Slot in The Times.

"There is a Groundhog Day feeling to the start of these autumn series at Twickenham. England start averagely, they perform honestly, valiantly but undazzlingly and then deliver the reminder that that was just the start. That was pretty much the form on Saturday. And it has been pretty much the history of the England team, yes, ever since 2003.

"If you plotted a progress curve from that date, it would be flat. There appeared to be an upward turn towards the end of last season’s RBS Six Nations Championship but that seems a blip rather than a foundation from which further improvement may be made. It is all very well to draw a line in the sand and say, “from here we go forward”, but England, for once, need to build momentum and keep it."

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Brian Moore praises the ball skills and general tactical appreciation of southern hemisphere players opposed to their northern rivals.

"Apart from one aberrant 15-minute period when Australia’s backs were strangely imprecise, the standard of delivery by both the Aussie and Kiwi backs was sharp. Contrast this with the often laboured passing of the Welsh and especially the English backs. Not only was it sometimes ponderous, at times the inability to deliver the ball in front of the man halted forward momentum as players had to pause to gather ball which had been passed behind them."

Warren Gatland sounded like Sir Alex Ferguson when he launched a rant at the refereeing of Craig Joubert following Wales’ 21st Test defeat in a row against New Zealand, according to Andy Howel in the Western Mail.

"Football managers like Manchester United boss Fergie are notorious for attempting to shift the blame for defeats on to match officials. But their outbursts often mask the real reason for losses and it was the same when Wales coach Gatland piled into Joubert following a pretty flat, low-key and uninspiring encounter with New Zealand at a sell-out Millennium Stadium.

"What Gatland should have been focusing on, and fuming about, were errors such as the failure of the Welsh lineout five metres from the All Blacks try-line in the 79th minute, when replacement hooker Huw Bennett couldn’t find fellow sub Bradley Davies with his throw. It was mistakes like that which cost Wales a potential draw, and Gatland may well in hindsight question why he brought off hooker and Lions star Matthew Rees, who had largely thrown in accurately, especially as it had been a slowish-paced match by international standards.

Paul Rees has sympathy for England debutant Duncan Bell after he was wrongfully penalised for pulling down a scrum just moments after entering the fray against Australia. Read his thoughts in the Guardian.

"It was the moment Duncan Bell had looked forward to for more than four years but a few seconds after arriving on the field as a replacement for his Bath colleague, David Wilson, the tight-head prop was penalised for taking down a scrum and England lost the lead they had worked so hard to preserve since Jonny Wilkinson's early drop-goal.

"It was not so long ago that England regarded a scrum against the Wallabies as an exercise in demolition. Think Andrew Sheridan and Twickenham in 2004, when Al Baxter spent the afternoon eating grass, and Marseilles in 2007 when dominance in the set-piece helped England to victory in the World Cup quarter-final. But the Wallabies have turned a weakness into, if not a strength, certainly a virtue."

Writing in the Independent, Chris Hewett reflects on England's disappointing start to the autumn campaign.

"When Johnson himself was an integral part of a growling unit featuring the likes of Richard Hill, Neil Back and Lawrence Dallaglio – ah, those blissful days of yore – England's opponents were always left with an overpowering sense of having been in a contest. The enemy might occasionally have won, but their losses in the forward exchanges tended to be so heavy that the word "pyrrhic" could often be seen accompanying the word "victory".

"Had the manager, or indeed any of that vintage loose unit, been listening to the Wallaby captain, Rocky Elsom, after Saturday's proceedings, they would have turned a very funny colour and pushed off home to mourn in private."

The All Blacks preserved their 56-year record against Wales on the back of the most ferocious defensive effort, writes Gregor Paul in the Herald on Sunday.

"For Wales, it must have felt like a cyclist ploughing through a swarm of flies with an open mouth. There was this black cloud smothering them; choking them; denying them.

"It was relentless. A performance that says not only is the structure and technique all in pace - so too the attitude and desire to win. Wales had ample possession. They had the territory, too. But in the end, they didn't have the class, the vision or the trickery to find any holes."

Wales have plenty of positives to reflect on in the wake of their latest defeat to the All Blacks, writes Michael Aylwin in The Observer.

"Well, it was brave. But then it usually is. Same result, though. Fifty-six years of Welsh hurt at the hands of New Zealand will now become 57. There was, however, wildness and excitement in the endgame. Having looked as if they might be broken men as they stared at a 19-6 deficit with a quarter of an hour to go and the All Blacks swarming on their line, Wales roused themselves somehow for one last push.

"And then, after two Stephen Jones penalties had brought them to within a converted try, Alun Wyn Jones, who had been as heroic as anyone in Welsh colours, intercepted on his own 22 and was away. Seventy-four thousand roared him on, and he tried, oh he tried, galloping over the turf like a back-row forward. He reached the New Zealand 22 before Zac Guildford finally cut him down, but Wales could not quite finish the deal."

	Worrying times for England manager Martin Johnson? © Getty Images

"England, particularly clueless and floppy towards the end, were well beaten. They failed to score a try and for long periods of this turbulent, but ultimately one-sided, match they failed to look like scoring one. Were it not for the wonderful Jonny Wilkinson and Lewis Moody, who enjoyed special comeback games, this would have been an unmitigated disaster.

"Once again England’s attack was conspicuously ineffective. In the final play of the match an out-of-sorts Shane Geraghty hacked aimlessly into space. It summed up much of England’s directionless afternoon. Not that Australia were a whole lot better. The Wallabies scored twice, once in each half, but if they had been remotely on form they would have got another couple at least."

Writing in the Sunday Times, Stuart Barnes hails the rising profile of Wallabies scrum-half Will Genia.

"Pitched into this season’s Tri-Nations, Genia is developing at such a rate that come the 2011 World Cup he is going to be one of the outstanding pivots in the world game. England - in contrast - remain hamstrung by an obsession with experience driven by a fear of losing.

"Australia may have lost six of their past seven internationals (against New Zealand and South Africa) but coach Robbie Deans has continued to trust kids such as Genia and the almost equally impressive Quade Cooper with the task of moulding a mature and match-winning team, and most pertinently, a team capable of competing in 2011 because, whatever anybody claims, this is the yardstick by which international sides are judged."

The concept of rugby as a dynamic sport died a death in English hands yesterday, according to Stephen Jones in the Sunday Times.

"England, too slow to be called ponderous, were hammered. The disintegration of their performance in the second half was almost total, any class and composure whatsoever deserted them and, for all the world, you were left wondering what on earth they do in all their training sessions.

"Australia only settled it with a try after 70 minutes but England were extraordinarily lucky not to crash by at least 15 more points. Australia, creating madly, could easily have scored at least three more tries, and all they lacked was composure in the final yard."

There was a real sense of deja vu to Saturday's Wales v New Zealand clash according to Simon Roberts in the Wales on Sunday.

"Twelve months ago, Wales led 9-6 at the break, only to go down to a 29-9 defeat. This time, it was 6-6 at half-time and once again the Kiwis turned the screw in the second period as an All Black tide swept over the hosts, with 14-point Man of the Match Dan Carter adding to the only try of the game from hooker Andrew Hore.

"At 19-6 down with 15 minutes to go, things looked ominous for Wales, but to their great credit they fought back with two penalties from Stephen Jones, the second of which came shortly after a contentious Carter high tackle on Martin Roberts went unpunished following a searing Shane Williams break."

Australia's Matt Giteau called the shots as the Wallabies exposed the lack of penetration from Martin Johnson's injury-ravaged side, according to Hugh Godwin in the Independent on Sunday.

"There is a long list of troubling tasks facing Martin Johnson and his cohort of England coaches this morning. So low did the sweet chariot swing yesterday that the metronomic swipe of Jonny Wilkinson's boot was drowned out by chimes of doom among a Twickenham crowd who cheered their returning hero whenever they could but were not so sycophantic as to ignore the discordant rugby unfolding in front of them.

"While the Barbour brigade groaned, the Wallabies kicked off their Grand Slam bid with a win which would have been by a much wider margin had they finished off two second-half overlaps. England's fitful bursts of sustained excellence in open play were perpetrated too far from the Australian goal line to make any significant difference."

England may have lost their first autumn international but Jonny Wilkinson was Herculean on his return according to Paul Hayward in The Observer.

"Jonny Wilkinson spoke for so long in answer to Sky's post-match questions that he almost wrecked Rupert Murdoch's evening schedules. The words flow so freely because the joy of being back in an England shirt is a thrill he thought he might not feel again.

The news from Twickenham is that England lost the first of their three autumn internationals after failing to score from the 26th minute onwards and that Wilkinson was Herculean in his first November Test since 2002. After 13 injuries and seven years out of these early-winter bust-ups with the southern hemisphere, he would have been excused for creeping back into the light."

Ahead of his side's autumn clashes, Ireland coach Declan Kidney talks to the Irish Times.

"Declan Kidney is undoubtedly an intelligent man, but winning the Grand Slam in his first year might be construed as being a little silly – akin to Orson Welles making Citizen Kane as his first movie. Toward the end of a career that had gradually and irreversibly declined, Welles reasoned: “I started at the top, and worked my way down.”

"We trust Kidney won’t be paraphrasing Welles further down the track. Nevertheless, expectations have been raised, one imagines, within the squad as well as publicly. As ever, though, the way he sees it, a small part of Kidney’s remit is to manage that, or at any rate try to keep it in perspective, in part so that we all enjoy the ride more as well."

England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson reflects on his return to the international stage in his latest column for The Times.

"It feels absolutely fabulous to be back and playing for England at Twickenham today. I can’t really say exactly how I will be feeling in those last few hours before the game but I can say for sure that the old anxiety will be back, the nerves, the anticipation. And I’ll be aware, after the injuries and experiences of the past few years, of how much it means to me and that I must embrace it and make the most of it.

"It has been awesome being back around an England squad. There is a lot I recognise here from England squads of the past, and those are the good bits, the things that should never change. I am talking about the values we hold: standing together, putting aside personal interests for the good of the team. With Martin Johnson around, it is not surprising that those are the values this group holds and it is not surprising that everyone is buying into them."

Talismanic fly-half Jonny Wilkinson is a reassuring presence for his callow cohorts in Martin Johnson's back line according to Paul Hayward in the Daily Telegraph.

"The new weapon is Wilkinson at No10 and the expressive but non-combative Shane Geraghty at No12. In his fourth England appearance, Geraghty says his job is "to bring good balance to the team, to take some of the load off Jonny's shoulders, to spread responsibility between myself and Jonny, to interchange throughout the game to keep the opposition guessing as to who's the first receiver, to add to him in terms of moves."

"With joint quarterbacks England can slide Wilkinson back into international duties without the onerous Messiah role he has carted through his 10 years at the top. But the Twickenham crowd are unlikely to see the pairing as a collective. Repeating this week's mantra, Wilkinson said: "I think rugby's about trust. It's a huge, huge part of the game – and one of the honest values of it." The crowd have their own trust. They will trust Jonny to put Australia to flight.

"England are a team in search of an identity, a style of playing, a guiding ethos. It was always thus. A decade back, Clive Woodward hired Brian Ashton to inject fizz into the back play but then fell back on the old brutalism of forward attrition."

Shane Geraghty will take some hits against Australia – but the man hoping to fill his mentor Mike Catt's boots is not afraid of a challenge. He speaks to the Independent's Chris Hewett.

"An awful lot has happened to England's rugby team since Shane Geraghty suddenly materialised at Twickenham in the spring of 2007 and ran Saturn-like rings round a high-rolling French back division containing such luminaries as Christophe Dominici, Vincent Clerc and Yannick Jauzion. A good deal has happened to Geraghty too, precious little of it a cause for celebration, but when he takes the field against the Wallabies today, it will be as if the last two and a half years never happened. That's the thing about supernovas: they always appear to be shining for the first time.

"I believe I'm the same player I was back in '07, when Brian Ashton picked me for the Six Nations squad," he insists. "I'm still into playing the heads-up rugby Brian instilled in me as a youngster, still willing to give it a go if it's on. I think the Northampton supporters have seen some of that from me this season and I'd like to bring that side of my game to the England set-up."

Robin Scott-Elliot interviews England great Lawrence Dallaglio about his views on where England have gone wrong since 2003 in The Independent.

"Lawrence Dallaglio ambles out of the room, checking the messages on his mobile phone. A couple of minutes later he returns. "About all that England stuff..." he says and then pauses. This zealous communicator, a happy chewer of the fat, for once does not have the words immediately to hand. "I'm a patriot," he states after a moment, and shrugs. "All I want is to see England doing well."

"England are not doing well and that exercises Dallaglio, one of the sturdy few who once helped them rule the world. Exercises him to the point that he now allows himself to contemplate that the legacy created on a stellar night beneath the Southern Cross six years ago, when he packed down behind Martin Johnson, has been wasted. Spent frivolously through hasty decisions, muddled selections and, above all, a telling lack of direction. He is a patriot with a problem.

"No stability, no continuity," says Dallaglio. "We've had Andy Robinson, Brian Ashton, now Martin Johnson. England have not had a coherent strategy since winning the World Cup. 'Let's make Andy Robinson our coach... oh no we got that wrong. Let's make Brian Ashton our coach... oh no we got that wrong. Let's make Martin Johnson our coach."

Ahead of the November Tests, four of The Guardian's rugby scribes pick their current world XVs.

"The hits may be getting bigger but class is permanent. It will be interesting, even so, to see how many of this team are still pre-eminent when the 2011 World Cup kicks off in New Zealand.

"The autumn Tests will certainly tell us more about Jamie Roberts, so influential for the Lions, and the new French captain Thierry Dusautoir. Watch out, too, for the fast-rising Irish back-rowers Stephen Ferris and Jamie Heaslip, Australia's Rocky Elsom and France's Maxime Médard."

Stuart Barnes previews Saturday's showdown between Wales and New Zealand, and doesn't hold out much hope for the men in red in The Times.

"Tears always flow when these great nations meet. For Wales the tears have been shed only in woe since 1953. The possibility of seeing Cardiff draped in joyous red makes this the main match of the autumn series first round.

"Yet, much as I hate to be the harbinger of bad news, the chances are not great; possible yes, but probable? New Zealand are not anywhere near their best, but Wales have a few injuries that promise to gravely weaken them.

"Much has been made of the absence of Mike Phillips; I am not sure a Welsh team at full tilt would miss him quite as much as assumed. He is undoubtedly the strongest scrum half in this hemisphere but compared to the genuine greats of modern times, such as Fourie du Preez, he can be dreadfully slow with his service."

Eddie Butler believes that Wales will just fall short in their attempt to break their long winless streak against the All Blacks in The Guardian.

"I'm not sure how much more build-up to Saturday's Tests can be taken. The Kiwi press is having a go at Wales for talking a big fight before the bell sounds and the tone of blogland is even more irascible than usual. The digital revolution has opened up boundless opportunities for a slanging match.

"Take, for example, poor little Leigh Halfpenny, who has been fingered by the New Zealanders as part of the Welsh propaganda machine that has declared the end of All Black invincibility. The insult has been paraded before the NZ public: Shock and aura, the All Blacks can be beaten, says baby-faced Welsh farthing.

"Well, there's the little player, willingly answering questions as he always does – because that's the way he is and on his media training course they told him to be as sincere as possible – and very softly suggesting that if Wales are to have a chance they have to overcome their own doubts about playing against their tormentors. A history going back 56 years can weigh heavy on young shoulders, but, he genuinely believes, the group is growing stronger and they have to believe in themselves."

In his Rolling Maul blog for The Times, Stephen Jones wonders about the value of performance next to victory as the November Tests near.

"This is by no means a new debate, but I would be interested to hear your take on it. At this time of year, we are handed the dilemma: winning or performance? My good friend Mr Barnes is very keen on this debate, and so have been a whole succession of England coaching supremos.

"On Saturday, England play Australia. Both teams are missing key players, but England are missing a whole raft of them. Martin Johnson duly has let it be known that while victory would be all fine and dandy, it is more important for England to give a performance. What this means in essence is that Johnson and his men seem prepared to lose the game if certain good things happen along the way.

"That nice Mr Barnes always takes the same route. In our Round Table chat last week, he again suggested that the really vital games come round only every four years and if we see something from the England team this week that will give us hope for the future, then we need not worry as to whether they finish ahead on the scoreboard or not."

David Hands dissects Martin Johnson's latest team selection in The Times.

"The return to the England front row of Steve Thompson has been well trailed but the re-appearance at Twickenham of a player who, in 2007, had been forced by injury into retirement still has the power to surprise. It is an indication of the twists and turns selection can take, and never more for England than this season.

"Injuries have made an impact up to the eleventh hour, with Dylan Hartley’s damaged hamstring promoting Thompson’s elevation for his 49th cap and his seventh appearance against Australia. It is that experience, going back to his international debut in 2002, which has counted in Thompson’s favour for this is a starting XV with five players boasting thirty or more caps, and then there is the rest.

"Whether Thompson lasts long beyond half-time at Twickenham must be in some doubt. He is there to make a dent on an improving Wallabies pack before Hartley, recovered sufficiently from his injury to be on the bench, brings greater mobility to the second half. But at 31 and after the enforced break, there could be a good few miles left on Thompson’s clock; after the surgery to his neck which convinced him he could resume playing, he has enjoyed his French leave in Brive and Martin Johnson’s coaching regime has rekindled his appetite for the international game."

Paul Rees is hoping that the November Test matches provide something to shout about after mixed bags in the Six Nations and Tri-Nations in The Guardian.

"John Clare wrote about dark and dull November days, but how the game in Europe could do with an Indian summer as the autumn internationals beckon. South Africa, New Zealand and Australia arrive in Europe after a Tri-Nations campaign that was hardly more stimulating than the Six Nations championship which preceded it.

"The New Zealand coach, Graham Henry, was in typically waspish mood this week when he described most sides in Europe, meaning the Six Nations, as conservative in their approach. Dull, in other words. He cited Wales as the exception, but South Africa have hardly been a byword for adventure this year and their meeting with Ireland at the end of the month, who won the Six Nations by adopting similarly constrictive tactics, could come down to who blinks first.

"Henry laments the surfeit of kicking spawned last year by the experimental law variations, but Wales presaged the changes on their way to the 2008 grand slam when they kicked more often than anyone else in the Six Nations, keeping the ball in play and chasing hard. They were opportunistic and waited for the moment."

John Hopkins believes that Wales' chances of beating the All Blacks are contingent on their belief that they can end a 20-game losing run in The Times.

"I don't care about the Wales team to face New Zealand on Saturday. It's immaterial to me whether Paul James is a gamble at tight head, that Ian Gough might have been better than Luke Charteris in the second row or that Wales should have gone for an established full back rather than selecting Jack of All Trades, Jack, sorry James, Hook. These changes are neither here nor there.

"I care about Wales's self belief. Wales's opponents in Cardiff are not men who wear a black shirt with a silver fern on it. Wales's opponents are those who take the field representing the home side. Wales have no one to fear but themselves.

"In general, Wales's players and the country's supporters do not fear another nation. Not the English, the French and the Irish, certainly not the Scots. Wales beat Australia the last time the two teams played and fancy their chances of doing so again at the end of this month. In short Wales give themselves a decent shout against any rugby playing country in the world, even the Springboks."

Mick Cleary believes that there are no excuses for the northern hemisphere sides as they face down the Tri-Nations giants in The Daily Telegraph.

"But as a month-long fest kicks off with two seminal encounters on Saturday, as England take on Australia at Twickenham and Wales attempt again to lay the All Blacks ghost to rest in Cardiff, one thing is clear: it's time for the European nations to front up.

"For Wales and Ireland, there are no get-out clauses. Anything less than a clean sweep would rate as a disappointment. Given that Wales have not beaten the All Blacks since 1953, that obligation might seem excessive. It isn't, because if not now, it might as well be never. True, there are a few injuries in the camp, and scrum-half Mike Phillips will be particularly missed, but nothing beyond the norm.

"If the Lions are to have any relevance outside their immediate sphere, there has to be spin-off into occasions such as these. The Lions managed to rattle the Springboks with a scratch (top-quality) side and minimal preparation."

David Hands talks to Wales fly-half Stephen Jones about the difficulty in translating Lions form in to domestic competition in The Times.

"Stephen Jones has a simple response when questioned about why the Lions’ playing legacy from the summer has not spilled over into the domestic game this season. “You come back to a different group of players, different coaches, different philosophies,” the fly half said, and the transposition of styles is not easily made.

"Nevertheless if one of the four home unions is able to make that step during this month’s international programme, it should be Wales, who play New Zealand at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday. Four of their coaches, their conditioner and technical analysts, were with the Lions in South Africa as were such key individuals as Jones himself, Jamie Roberts, Gethin Jenkins and Martyn Williams.

“The Lions played a style that suited the individuals who were there,” Jones, 32 next month, said. It is also, to a degree, the style that should suit the Scarlets, his regional team, and Wales. Nor, of course, are the Springboks on Wales’s playing schedule: New Zealand, fresh from beating Australia in Tokyo, will be followed by Samoa, Argentina and Australia and the game plan will be amended accordingly."

Peter Williams believes that the All Blacks will have a serious battle for attention on their hands in the coming weeks in The New Zealand Herald.

"The all Blacks face a huge battle for the hearts and minds of New Zealand sports fans in the next two weeks, not to mention eyeballs.

"While the All Blacks yet again traipse around Europe, where the major objective seems to be making money for the New Zealand Rugby Union, the rugby league Kiwis and the All Whites are playing matches far more meaningful, and mostly at times much more convenient for us here.

"Next Sunday, the All Blacks and the Kiwis essentially go head-to-head. The test against Wales starts at 6.15am. The Kiwis play England at Huddersfield from 7am. The result of that ratings clash will be one of the more fascinating outcomes of the sporting year.

"You get the feeling the All Blacks will have to play really well in the first half to keep their audience for the second."

David Flatman expects some changes to the norm when England face Australia at Twickenham next weekend in The Independent on Sunday.

“When the Wallabies arrive at Twickenham to take on England next week, a few points of tradition will be challenged. Whatever the competition, year or venue, some things have always been assumed in the build-up to this most enticing of fixtures: England's scrum will annihilate the prop-weak Aussies; and the Wallaby back line will be too athletic, thick-thighed and naturally elusive for the straight-up-and-down English.

“These days, however, things are somewhat different. While Ryan Cross, at outside centre, might be considered a strapping lad, he could probably fit quite comfortably into Matt Banahan's pocket, should the need arise. At 6ft 7in and 115kg, Banahan wins the prize for the most monstrous piece of meat on the field, but it is at inside centre where England will look to defy rugby legend.

“Shane Geraghty has the poacher's eye combined with the swiftness of feet to cause Australia problems. With Jonny Wilkinson and Dan Hipkiss either side of him, incoming runners will be dropped like tranquilised buffalo and he will just have to concentrate on what he does best: threaten the defence. Those Wallaby forwards who find themselves defending in midfield will have their work cut out if England win clean ball and, after a few heavy scrummaging exchanges, those legs might not have the zip to cover a player like Geraghty.”

Paul Hayward salutes the return to fitness of England's talismanic fly-half Jonny Wilkinson in The Observer.

"Jonny Wilkinson in his wilderness years tried to escape the daily crucifixion of self-analysis and perfectionism. Injured, he sought fun and peace. Then his body was fixed at last after 13 injuries and rugby came home to him. The stream of consciousness has come back too but without the old dark intent.

"England's squad for the autumn internationals against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand is packed with forgotten men, called up to replace the 13 now missing from Martin Johnson's original 32-strong mob. In the midst of this chaos stands Wilkinson, tanned and fit, 20 months after he last wore an England shirt, as a replacement in the final 2008 Six Nations fixture, against Ireland when the gadabout Danny Cipriani was being groomed to take his place.

"Johnson's gang are horribly depleted, especially at prop and No8, yet a world-class talent has returned from the wasteland of perpetual damage to confront the team he tortured in Sydney in the 2003 World Cup final. Australia, you would think, will not care who is missing from England's front row. But they will curse medical science for restoring Wilkinson, at 30, to win his 71st cap on Saturday in a side for whom he has struck 1,032 points."

Stephen Jones conducts The Sunday Times' latest round table as the November Tests approach.

“Stephen Jones: Ah, it’s Autumn, lads. A galaxy of big games. All the Southern Hemisphere giants; Jonny’s back; Johnno under the cosh; the All Blacks might even be vulnerable; and Ireland can get some revenge for the Lions against South Africa. Italy have sold out the San Siro in Milan for the All Blacks. It’s not the worst prospect, is it?

“Jeremy Guscott: Who’s going to come up with the big line this time? Jonesy, last time we had a Round Table you came out with the crap that Brian O’ Driscoll wasn’t going to make the Lions. And you’ve got bloody Wigglesworth in your England team.

“SJ: All I was saying is that even icons are not above criticism. Except you, Prince of Centres. And Wigglesworth is much under-rated.

“Lawrence Dallaglio: I want to know what England’s objectives are this Autumn. No-one in an England tracksuit has come out and said: “We want to be the best team in the World.“ I don’t feel that many of the squad would know what getting to the top of the world entails and at the moment, in terms of their fitness and every other aspect of their game, they are a long way off it. I would also like the England players to be put under more pressure. I want Martin Johnson to lay down the law. I’d like him to say, publicly: ”You’ve had 30 caps, it’s about time you delivered, mate.”