Thompson fears for future

Steve Thompson fears he could be the biggest casualty of a Twickenham ambush which leaves England's 'gutted' world-beaters in danger of losing their Six Nations title.

Ireland's superb 19-13 win puts them in serious contention to succeed the World Cup holders as champions of Europe and left a distraught Thompson admitting:'I fear for my position after every game, but especially after a loss like that.

'The hardest thing to stomach for me is the feeling that I've let the nation down as well as myself. There are worse things in life, of course, but to be one of the major contributors to England's first defeat as world champions is not easy to live with.

'It's very hard to take. It had to be one of the worst days of my life in rugby.

'To have played like that is a big blow to my career. My heart always drops before the team is chosen and I don't think anyone would be too surprised to be left out. It will be an anxious wait to find out whether I'll be given another chance. If not, I'll have to take it on the chin and rebuild.'

Sir Clive Woodward later acknowledged his team's 'bad day' but promised 'no overreaction.'

Thompson's repeated failure to find his jumpers threw England so far off-beam that they are unable to keep their part of the so-called

Grand Slam decider in Paris on March 27. France's 29-22 win over Wales in Cardiff yesterday leaves them on course for a clean sweep but just one slip away from a threeway tie with Ireland and England. Northampton hooker Thompson accepts 'full responsibility' for his role in a defeat greeted in the England dressing room by a stony silence.

'Nobody said anything,' he admitted. 'No-one needed to say anything. When we met later on Clive said there would be no panic. 'After a few days I might feel differently about this defeat but, at the moment, it seems that my world has stopped turning. People will look at the failings and pick out the line-out. That's my province.'