A veteran of England's 2007 Rugby World Cup campaign, winger Mark Cueto insists there is always pressure to perform for the team.
Talking at England's Pennyhill Park training base, the Sale man says he is confident of getting on the plane to New Zealand as the intensity of the battle for places steps up.
"Whenever you go on the field you should feel confident," Cueto says. "If you're not feeling confident you're not going to perform."
The winger also reveals that hardly a day has gone by since the 2007 final against South Africa at Stade de France, when he came close to scoring a try which may have won England a second Rugby World Cup in a row.
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If England are going to recapture the magic that brought home the Rugby World Cup in 2003 they need excellence from one to 15 and a strong bench.
The centres has been a problem area for England for some time now but getting it right in midfield will be essential.
Over the years England have had some great centre pairings. My favourite: Jerry Guscott and Will Carling. Two very different players who dovetailed well throughout the 90s.
Jerry Guscott was a breathtaking player. Back when shirts looked more like marquees and weighed a ton, Guscott managed to run and jink like a young gazelle. For England he was the spark in midfield, the player they looked to make something happen.
Will Carling was a totally different animal, whose shirt always fitted snugly before Sir Clive Woodward’s innovation of skin tight jerseys. His muscular build and upright running style gave him a brutish effectiveness in the contact area. While Guscott was a pure athlete with the natural gifts to play in midfield, Carling was an effort man guaranteed to give you a hundred percent whatever the conditions.
Guscott would go on to partner Will Greenwood in the England midfield but by 2003 his role at outside centre had been taken by a man with a more direct in style, Mike Tindall.
Like Guscott and Carling, Tindall and Greenwood worked well because they were very different. Tindall was the hard running, gritty and defensive element . Will Greenwood was a rangy runner, not with the same pace as Guscott but with the ability to craft an angle and a knack of being there to finish off a move – not to mention his soft hands. Greenwood was the Roy Keane to Tindall’s Paul Scholes.
So how will Engand’s Martin Johnson line up his centres at the World Cup?
Riki Flutey is arguably the most talented centre in the England squad but he is struggling for form after recovering from injury. If Flutey can rediscover the magic that made him a prominent Lion in 2009 then he would be my first choice 12, but that is a big if.
Alongside him on Saturday was Manu Tuilagi who barreled over for a debut try. Tuilagi is clearly an option for outside centre, although his inexperience and questions over his temperament may prevent Johnson from starting him.
This Saturday expect to see Shontayne Hape and Mike Tindall line up for the return against Wales. This was Johnson’s preferred centre combination during the 6 Nations, but it lacks creativity and reeks of conservatism. But it could be the option if England are looking to keep it tight during the World Cup.
Tindall could be pushed to inside centre to allow for either Tuilagi or Flutey to play outside him. Jonny Wilkinson could move to inside centre to allow Toby Flood to start at fly-half.
England also have Matt Banahan, another powerful runner whose direct style will certainly be a threat. Expect to see the Bath man used as an impact substitution through the middle or on the wing.
Plenty for Johnson and Brian Smith, England’s attack coach, to mull over in the build-up to the Rugby World Cup. Get the centre combination right and England will look smooth and steady. Get it wrong and they will look awkward and hulking.