The men England must replace

Will Lawrence Dallaglio be the same after his knee reconstruction and can this inspirational player carry on at the high standards he sets himself for another three years? Can Martin Johnson, the heart and soul of the England squad, also keep his body together over such a long period when he takes so much punishment week in, week out?

One move Woodward should make after the Ireland match is to take Richard Hill to one side and tell him he will be the England No 7 for the World Cup. Just look at what he has done on two Lions tours, playing at open-side flanker. He was magnificent against George Smith in Brisbane on the recent Lions tour, but after the First Test win he was put back to No 6.

Hill is playing No 8 against Ireland, a tribute to his all-round footballing ability, but he should be the open-side flanker we build our game around. If there is one thing the England players learned in Australia it is that Hill is patently a world-class No 7.

Lewis Moody, the young Leicester forward, has enjoyed a rich vein of form since bursting through on the England tour to North America in the summer and has ousted Wasps' Joe Worsley from the replacements' bench on Saturday.

I must say that Worsley has been a massive disappointment at Wasps since Dallaglio has been injured. Worsley is a hugely-gifted player with the kind of power other backrow men can only dream about, yet he finds it impossible to stamp undoubted authority on even Zurich Premiership matches.

Wasps need a focal point up front with Dallaglio out until January, but Worsley has been content to follow rather than lead. It's very perplexing.

Against Ireland, Woodward is also looking for a winning start to a tough season that includes home Tests next month with world champions Australia and then the South Africans.

The Wallabies will be in a very different frame of mind, having defeated the Lions to prove they are still the best in the game and they will want to ram this point home to an English team that is now hard on their heels in the world rankings. The Wallabies have a new captain (George Gregan) and coach (Eddie Jones) who will both want to make their mark.

South Africa will be bringing a new team, building for the World Cup and they have already beaten Australia. It is in these two matches that Woodward will be able to determine who has the right stuff for England duty in 2003.

If Woodward delays bringing in new men for the Wallaby match then presumably he will make changes for the Romania game which comes the week before we meet the Springboks.

Then we are into another Six Nations Championship which England must win. This does include playing and beating France away.

With such a hectic schedule, it's imperative that Woodward acts now.

The other area of huge concern for Woodward is the leadership within the team. Without Johnson and Dallaglio there is massive pressure on Matt Dawson, Back and Leonard.

With Back and Leonard not around for the next World Cup, where are the new leaders of the pack? Where are the thinkers, planners and questioners?

It the same scenario in the backs. Mike Catt will not be at centre when the World Cup arrives and that makes establishing a new midfield pairing another important need. The chosen men will need time to settle and must be given experience against the world champions at every opportunity.

Will Greenwood is a hugely talented player, but he needs to take on the mantle of leader and show that he has the steel for the big games - mentally and physically.

Bath's Mike Tindall and Wasps' Josh Lewsey have the kind of power that is required in the modern midfield battle. Also pressing for Test chances are Ben Johnson (Saracens) and the Newcastle pair of Jamie Noon and Tom May, who are benefiting from Rob Andrew's experience.

Thanks to the outstanding work of the leading clubs, top-quality young players have come through the academies and offer Woodward a number of alternatives to the established stars.

That is why it's now time to make key changes to give England the best chance of winning the 2003 World Cup.