Wilson joins attack on England 'cheats'

The only shock for England came when Eddie Jones, the Australia coach, changed from their biggest critic to the chairman of their fan club, insisting he had seen nothing wrong with their play against South Africa.

But head coach Clive Woodward is not concerned by the criticism and in fact "thanked" people for their continued sniping in the build-up to Sunday's clash with Samoa. He said today: "I want to thank all these coaches and players for their feedback.

It is excellent. We read it all and take it on board. That's why we want to say thanks for all the comments we are getting."

Woodward is focusing on Samoa and his main dilemma is whether to play fly-half Wilkinson against the physical Islanders.

"We've seen the Samoans play, they are top of the group and if we turn over ball as we did to South Africa, we'll be punished," he said. "It's going to be a pretty tense week. We are going to make one or two changes and I promise there'll be no complacency."

Stuart Abbot, the London Wasps centre, is set to fill the gap left by Will Greenwood, who is back in London to be with his wife, while Julian White and Martin Corry are expected to start their first World Cup match. Richard Hill and Matt Dawson also need game time after missing the South Africa match with injuries.

Away from the criticism, the England camp did receive a boost with the news that Greenwood's wife Caro has been released from intensive care following a scare over her pregnancy. However, she will remain in hospital until the baby is born.