Autumn Internationals News round-upOver in New Zealand they will not be quaking as they pack their touring bags. Stuart Turner? Andy Goode? Paul Sackey? If this is the new age of English rugby, heaven help the red rose army. At almost 35, the uncapped Turner is older than Will Greenwood and Matt Dawson, both now retired. Twickenham used to be a rugby ground; now it's a care home for the infirm and elderly.

If that sounds a harsh verdict on England's squad of 30 for Sunday week's New Zealand examination, it is simply a precis of what they will be saying in the bars of Dunedin.

In the event of a World Cup starting tomorrow, even Andy Robinson would struggle to mount a case for this particular selection making the semi-finals. Another two or three injuries in this weekend's Heineken European Cup matches and the All Blacks will need some help putting names to faces in the tunnel beforehand.

The flip side, and the fragile hope to which Robinson must cling in these uneasy days, is that the cupboard is not as bare as it looks. Add some, or all, of the following names to the equation and see if it alters your perception: Jonny Wilkinson, Phil Vickery, Lawrence Dallaglio, Richard Hill, Jason Robinson, Steve Thompson, Olly Barkley, James Simpson-Daniel, Stuart Abbott. Some may be past it, others injured, but the bottom line is that England's autumn squad is not quite what it seems. The time to panic will be next March if those named above are still struggling and the rest have failed to prosper.

The diplomatic line, for now, is that all will be rosy again by the end of the 2007 Six Nations Championship. In their four games this autumn, England hope to discover they have two international-class scrumhalves in Shaun Parry and Peter Richards and a revitalised pack. South Africa have rested a number of their players and, with home advantage, England will surely have ended their losing streak, now five in a row, by Christmas.

Unofficially, though, even camp insiders concede England will need a large dollop of luck between now and January to paper over the cracks. England may still be world champions in name but, in terms of talent depth, they have gone from deep-pan to thin-crust since the World Cup. Whether this is the fault of one or two influential individuals or down to the cyclical nature of sport is irrelevant. It has happened and Robinson, promised a clean slate by the Rugby Football Union's new elite director of rugby Rob Andrew, has to get on with it.

The hand of Andrew, incidentally, is not hugely evident yet, for the simple reason there are restricted options in several positions. England may have left out Joe Worsley, Simon Shaw, Mike Catt and Mike Tindall but the latter pair have barely played this season, Worsley is struggling to get a start with Wasps and Shaw has never been a Robinson favourite.

Nor will the inclusion of such tyros as Tom Rees, Anthony Allen, Toby Flood and Olly Morgan mean a great deal if none make the 22 to face the All Blacks, due to be named on Monday. England's potential fab four are all fine talents with the capacity to enjoy long Test careers. Even their greatest admirers, however, would hesitate to back them to stick a rocket under their Kiwi opposite numbers Richie McCaw, Aaron Mauger, Dan Carter and Mils Muliaina.

Paul Rees adds: Wales are considering moving Gavin Henson to fullback during next month's series of internationals at the Millennium Stadium, a move that may partly explain yesterday's decision to take the captaincy off Gareth Thomas.

Henson has won the bulk of his 20 caps at inside centre, but Llanelli Scarlets' Gavin Evans has emerged as the favourite to occupy that position against Australia on Saturday week, with Wales debating whether to exploit Henson's long-range line-kicking from full-back. Henson, who made one appearance as a fullback for Wales two years ago, has been used by the Ospreys mainly as an outhalf this season, but Wales have no vacancy there after appointing Stephen Jones as captain in succession to Thomas.

AutumnInternationals: Squad selections

ENGLAND

v New Zealand, Nov 5th

v Argentina, Nov 11th

v South Africa, Nov 18th

v South Africa, Nov 25th

BACKS: I Balshaw, O Morgan, J Lewsey, M Cueto, P Sackey, B Cohen, M Tait, A Allen, J Noon, T Flood, C Hodgson, A Goode, P Richards, S Perry.

FORWARDS: A Sheridan, P Freshwater, J White, S Turner, G Chuter, L Mears, B Kay, D Grewcock, T Palmer, C Jones, P Sanderson, L Moody, T Rees, M Lund, M Corry, J Forrester.

WALES

v Australia, Nov 4th

v Pacific Islands, Nov 11th

v Canada, Nov 17th

v New Zealand, Nov 25th

BACKS: K Morgan, L Byrne, M Jones, S Williams, Gareth Thomas, H Luscombe, T Shanklin, G Evans (Llanelli Scarlets), C Sweeney, G Henson, J Hook, S Jones (capt), D Peel, M Phillips, G Cooper.

FORWARDS: G Jenkins, A Jones, D Jones, C Horsman, R Thomas, H Bennett, M Rees, B Cockbain, I Gough, R Sidoli, I Evans, A Wyn Jones, M Williams, Gavin Thomas, J Thomas, A Popham, R Jones.

SCOTLAND

v Romania, Nov 11th

v Pacific Islands, Nov 18th

v Australia, Nov 25th

BACKS: M Blair, C Cusiter, R Dewey, M Di Rollo, P Godman, A Henderson, R Lamont, S Lamont, B MacDougall, C MacRae, G Morrison, D Parks, C Paterson, H Southwell, S Webster.

FORWARDS: J Beattie, K Brown, D Callam, R Ford, S Gray, D Hall, J Hamilton, N Hines, A Hogg, A Jacobsen, A Kellock, G Kerr, E Murray, S Murray, C Smith, S Taylor, J White (capt).