ENGLAND were magnificent in the World Cup, but there was criticism that the type of game they played to reach the final was ugly.

To me there is no debate. Who would you rather be - England or New Zealand?

The All Blacks were fancied by everyone, and certainly played some dazzling rugby during the pool stages, but when it came to the crunch quarter-final against France they came up short.

If you were offered style or substance, you would take substance every time. International rugby is about winning, not about how well you play. Win ugly or win flamboyantly, as long as you win.

When it comes to selecting the side, head coach Brian Ashton will go with a mixture of youth and experience that has been tried and tested.

During the World Cup, England learned what they can do and what they're best at. If it isn't broke, then don't try to fix it. What they need to do is try to add some nuts and bolts to their game.

Whichever pack Ashton selects, England will compete. The wealth of quality forwards available means he could field several different combinations without reducing their effectiveness up front.

The biggest headache facing Ashton lies in the back division, namely at half-back, where he must be tempted to take a look at in-form Wasps youngster Danny Cipriani.

There will be lots of shouts for Cipriani to be handed his debut, but I think Jonny Wilkinson or Charlie Hodgson will start instead.

It's always a difficult decision when to pick a new fly-half. With nobody standing out as the obvious scrum-half, it makes it even harder.

If we had an established No.9 we could bring Cipriani in straight away. The axis at eight, nine and 10 is crucial at all levels.

Ashton has picked Richard Wigglesworth, Peter Richards and Andy Gomarsall as his scrumhalves for the RBS 6 Nations, and I think they'll stick with the latter.

Gomarsall had a fine World Cup and they'd be right to keep him at No.9. Gomarsall and Wilkinson will be the cornerstone for England in the RBS 6 Nations, and if they tinker with that partnership then it would be wrong.

Cipriani should come on from the bench later on in games, which was the way Jason Robinson started his England rugby union career. Get the game started, make things comfortable, and then bring him on.

He's proved what a wonderful talent he is at Wasps, but he doesn't yet justify a start at international level.

But if he keeps his head together and continues improving at the speed he is at the moment, he knows he will play for England, and may even push for a Lions spot.

It is fantastic to see Mike Tindall back in the reckoning. He has been playing well for Gloucester, and his experience will be invaluable.

Tindall is just what England need - an up-and-down, physical player that suits the forwards, and he must start at outside centre.

I'm also very excited about the back three. We seem to be blessed with options at the moment. We have David Strettle, Tom Varndell, Mark Cueto, Paul Sackey, Mathew Tait and Josh Lewsey. Iain Balshaw is back from injury too.

We have so many choices in the back three, it's just a case of getting the right combination together. The challenge is to get them scoring tries, and that has to be the next target for Ashton.

England are my favourites to win the RBS 6 Nations. They know what to do, and how to do it. They play France in Paris, but have a kind start at home to Wales.

Wales aren't very strong up front, so England will fancy that one.

Although I expect France to provide the main threat, Ireland should be very competitive as well.

Ireland had such a disappointing World Cup, and will be desperate to prove a point.

They still have world-class players all over the park. Behind the scenes a lot of hard work has gone into Irish rugby over the last few years, but they have nothing to show for it. They had such a disappointing World Cup, and will not be happy leaving those memories as their legacy.

Their coach, Eddie O'Sullivan, is under pressure because of those performances, and he has to show he can turn it around. This is the season he has to do it.

For unexplainable reasons, none of their team played well at the World Cup. Something like that very rarely happens.

I think Scotland are the most improved side in the RBS 6 Nations, alongside Italy.

I believe Scotland are going in the right direction under Frank Hadden, but they can't soak up injuries.

One of their strengths is that they have a great kicker in Chris Paterson, who will keep the scoreboard ticking over.

They have difficulty scoring tries, and that will continue, but they have a chance of making an impact.

11:45am Tuesday 5th February 2008

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