First hitch for England

England suffered the first hitch of their World Cup campaign today when Matt Dawson and Iain Balshaw sat out training.

Scrum-half Dawson is set to start against opening Pool C opponents Georgia on Sunday, while Balshaw finds himself on the bench.

An England spokesman revealed tonight that both players were rested after experiencing what was described as general soreness following training over the past few days.

But England boss Clive Woodward, speaking earlier today, revealed that Tuesday’s session at Hale School in the western suburbs of Perth had been what he described as “full-on”.

“All 30 players trained yesterday. It was almost the first time in two months that we went full-on,” said Woodward.

“When I say full-on, it was tackle suits, 10 minutes, and although I wouldn’t quite call it mayhem, it was a very intense session. The players loved it, and needed to get it out of their system.”

Trevor Woodman, meanwhile, will make his World Cup debut against Georgia – and England veteran Jason Leonard can take much of the credit.

Gloucester prop Woodman has muscled his way back into the England picture following a serious neck and shoulder injury sustained last season.

After making a first England start during the thrilling Twickenham victory over New Zealand in November, he was hurt halfway through a scrummaging practice session, and did not play again for four months.

Seven of Woodman’s 10 England appearances have been as a replacement, but the battle back to full fitness owes a great deal to Leonard’s presence as much as his own fighting qualities.

“You learn so much off Jason. You watch him in training and on the pitch and how he conducts himself – he’s a fantastic player, and I can’t say enough about him really,” said Woodman.

“Jason is not one who is always out there calling shots on the field, but he takes you to one side and gives you a few pointers. He is helpful.

“There are always times when you think ‘what do I have to do to get that number one spot’? Obviously, I wasn’t working hard enough or putting the games consistently together, like Jason did.

“That’s something I had to learn off him before I got the chance to prove myself. I would play one or two good games, and then it would maybe drift off,” he added.

Woodman’s injury could not have come at a worse time.

A long and successful run in the England team appeared ahead of him, but while Martin Johnson’s men saw off world champions Australia, South Africa by a record margin and then romped to the Six Nations title, Woodman was forced into a frustrating waiting game.

“When the injury first happened, it was a worry, but once I had the diagnosis and surgery, my main aim was to get fit and get into this World Cup squad. I was back playing earlier than I thought,” he said.

“I had done something, and lost a lot of strength in my left arm, and until I saw the surgeon, I didn’t know what the outcome would be. Once I saw him, I was a lot happier with what he was telling me.

“He explained everything, and said that I would make a full recovery.

“I had a disc that had pushed out on to a nerve that basically controlled my left arm. I did it on a scrummaging machine after the All Blacks game, I felt something go in my back, and within two or three hours I had seized right up.

“It has been very hard. In the last World Cup, I missed out on the final selection and I was disappointed.

“Since then, it has been a hard struggle to get into the England team. It was only last November, that I had my first start for England, and I was first in the squad in 1999.”

Georgia’s powerful scrummaging unit will now confront Woodman at Subiaco Oval, and he is relishing the battle.

“We’ve always known that Georgia are very strong up front, especially their set-piece work, so it is something we are going to have to concentrate on a lot and hopefully stop them at source,” claimed Woodman, who will pack down alongside his Gloucester captain and England tighthead Phil Vickery.

“It will be a good physical contest.”

Woodman, one senses, would not want it any other way.