football thoughts

We may or may not be at the World Cup to make up the numbers - the truth will be clearer after tomorrow's match against Japan. If we can't produce a credible performance against another bunch of make weights flying in from the vicinity of Asia, we really ought to go away for another however many years for some remedial coaching and learn how to punch at our sporting weight in this particular sport.

News in the meantime from the frontiers of another football code. We've handed out a 24 carat spanking to the novice poms. This morning's UK sport coverage had the England 15 marked down virtually across the board ahead of the game so the result came as no surprise here and hasn't been greeted with euphoria back home.

Loads of symmetry in this since England are nowhere near as good as they'd like to think they are ... walking, talking proof that a small handful of world class players at their peak do not a team make.

That goes for cricket ... rugby ... association football ... but not tennis 'cos to give credit where credit is due the English know they're crap at tennis.