Alcatraz fires rock Leonard

So, what are they going to do for nearly 12 weeks?

Well, following the lessons learned from 1999, the management has prepared a training routine that acknowledges the players have a life away from rugby. They will work a five-day week before returning home at the weekends. Longer rest breaks will also be scheduled.

England have three warm-up Tests, against Wales (23 August) and France (30 August and 6 September) before the final squad is announced on 8 September.

Most of the names are already pencilled in for the flight to Perth, where England will start their Cup challenge, and the remaining handful of places will go to those who impress over the next seven weeks.

Jason Leonard, the world's most capped forward with 103, is on course for a fourth successive World Cup and with partner Sandra expecting their third child on 20 October, he is considering flying home for the birth if he makes the trip to Australia.

The versatile Leonard is almost guaranteed a place and is convinced there will be a better balance between work and rest this time around. "The good thing with this England management is that they have looked at 1999," said Leonard.

"Then it was a case of finding things to do when you weren't training. Players were almost fighting to get into the boat that took you to the mainland just to do something new.

"You trained, ate your meals and watched TV in the rooms and that was it. This time it will be more like a working week.

"They have been very good at arranging the training programme. You don't want to be stuck in one place all the time because the routine can become mind-numbing.

"Four years on from the last Cup there are far more players in the squad with family and children and while it's still hard on everyone, we are getting a lot more help. Of course, it then get's much harder if you are lucky enough to make the final squad because it's off to Australia on 1 October until, hopefully, we reach the final seven weeks later.

"There is talk about bringing the families over but for me it's not going to be possible because Sandra is due on 20 October - right in the middle of the tournament. I will look at the possibilities of coming back for the birth and we saw George Gregan do it just before leading Australia against us at Twickenham last November."

As Leonard prepares to join a select group of players who have played in four Cups, he is uniquely qualified to run the rule over the current crop of England stars, who have been accused of peaking too soon.

He added: "If you read the papers in New Zealand and Australia then they believe this is as good as it gets for this England squad after our wins Down Under this summer. It's not.

"We are only going to get better."