No kick-start for Robinson

Yet consistently at the very highest level? We have a right to worry about Hodgson for, ever since he made that remarkably frank confession about letting the Wallabies' gleeful "can't kick" taunts get to him in the previous Twickenham defeat, he has identified himself as a player who can struggle with his own frailty.

Dave Ellis, the French defence coach reckoned the men in blue could sense that lack of confidence in England's playmaker. What a boost such a scent of vulnerability must have provided them and what a test of resilience now awaits a man who finished the game standing alone amid French delirium, hands stuck in horror to his head for what seemed an eternity until Lewsey sprinted half the length of the pitch to try to snap him out of his misery.

He looked and later sounded almost as if he was holding himself personally responsible for collective failure. Here, Hodgson again showed what an admirable figure he is, man enough to front up and acknowledge his wretched afternoon when others would have hidden away. "I feel as if I have a strong enough character to bounce back," he vowed.

It still didn't stop reporters when they enquired gently whether another goal-kicking off day had now made it a psychological issue. "It probably is if you lot keep talking about it all the time," he replied. The hint of irritation in his voice was forgivable because in the voice of his questioners came the unspoken implication that here was just some flaky substitute for Wilkinson, rather than a worldclass stand-off in his own right.

France coach Bernard Laporte summed up how far Hodgson has to travel, however, when he said: "Wilkinson is Wilkinson. I don't think this could have happened if he had been there."

His opposite number Robinson tried to remain upbeat despite the fact that England must travel to Dublin on Sunday week trying to avoid their third consecutive Six Nations defeat for 18 years.

He said: "It's down to practice and the guys will work on that. After last week we actually went out and played some good rugby. The enthusiasm the players have shown all week has been tremendous. The effort they have put in has been magnificent.

"We will now have a good preparation for Ireland. We will look forward to going the re and performing."

Will Hodgson be looking forward to it? His team-mates insist he has the ability and nerve to banish yesterday's wayward late, late show from his mind and follow an impossible act. Dublin should be a hell of a venue for him to try to prove them right.