Sat 10 Oct 2007More hangdog than bulldogQuarter-finals:It is almost four years since the
greatest day in English rugby history and, if Australia play their
cards right, payback time has finally arrived. There are 13
survivors from the victorious 2003 squad in Brian Ashton's
match-day 22 but English supporters anticipating a similarly sweet
red-rose triumph should have been at yesterday's eve-of-game press
conference.It was ominous enough listening to Mike Catt's blunt
condemnation of England's costly tactical fumblings at this World
Cup - "We didn't know what we were doing against South Africa" -
and the stark truth about his recall - "Brian didn't have a choice,
he had to pick me" - as a replacement for the injured Andy
Farrell.