Rivals Wilkinson, Hodgson now part of midfield dream team

ENGLAND boss Clive Woodward last night revealed a fascinating glimpse into his World Cup thinking by selecting flyhalf rivals Jonny Wilkinson and Charlie Hodgson in the same team for next Saturday’s showdown with France.

While prop Jason Leonard will rightly command top Twickenham billing as he wins his 100th cap, a Wilkinson-Hodgson midfield axis could ultimately steal the show and could be of more significance to England's World Cup campaign than the result of an eagerly-awaited Six Nations opener.

Hodgson, who scored an England-record 44 points on his debut against Romania in 2001, missed the autumn tests when England beat southern hemisphere giants New Zealand, Australia and South Africa because of injury.