England have better wingers than Jonny May and Joe Cokanasiga. So why aren’t we picking them?

England’s World Cup preparations have gone from bad to worse following Thursday’s news that Anthony Watson has been ruled out of the tournament due to a calf injury.

Trouble continues and more could follow as a dangerous Fiji side arrives at Twickenham on Saturday and a disappointing crowd is expected.

Watson is a player capable of bringing the pace England so desperately needs. Losing him for France is therefore a big blow.

It’s because of three poor performances in the warm-up games we’ve had so far and the suspensions handed out to Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola.

There’s not much to be positive about at the moment, but somehow England needs to elevate themselves and the nation to go into this World Cup.

There is no denying that England is in a very difficult situation, but there is no point in them feeling sorry for themselves. One sentence my England team would rally behind was ‘England awaiting’.

The World Cup is coming. It’s the chance of a lifetime. And England still have great players.

Now is the time to circle around the chariots and come out fighting, or more importantly, come out playing. Play the kind of game that will get fans excited.

A lot has happened in the past month. But as difficult as things look now, August will be a distant memory if England can beat Argentina. That’s how quickly momentum changes in the sport.

I can’t remember a bigger opening match for England at a World Cup. A win against Argentina at this point would be quite an achievement. If they win, they’re at the races. Lose and they will be forgotten by the Japanese. Fiji represents the beginning of a huge fortnight.

Fiji is a very dangerous team. They may lack a bit of structure, but their attacking play is a great weapon for them and they have the potential to cause all sorts of trouble for England.

It is unlikely that Twickenham will be sold out for the match, as an attendance of around 50,000 is expected. That must be a major concern for English rugby and the bosses at the RFU.

I could never have imagined England not playing to almost a full house.

The big question is why?

I’m sure the country’s cost-of-living crisis and Saturday’s train strikes contribute to this, but it’s still a sad reflection of how England have played over the past four years. This is evident from the fact that Twickenham will be sold out for New Zealand against South Africa on Friday. People are still willing to part with their hard-earned money to watch such teams.

England’s side went downhill under Eddie Jones after their 2019 World Cup final defeat to South Africa and Steve Borthwick has failed to revive things. Not yet anyway.

I read with interest the statistics about England in Mail Sport at the beginning of this week. Sadly they have shown that England is top of all the areas you don’t want to be in! They paint a clear picture of playing too slowly and pedaling too much.

Fans can tolerate that if the team wins. But if you associate boring rugby with defeats, it’s a nightmare combination.

With Watson and Elliot Daly – also doubtful of a World Cup injury – coming out of the game against Fiji, as well as Farrell and Vunipola, Jonny May has been brought in to start on the flank.

May and Joe Cokanasiga have joined the squad after injuries to Watson, Daly and Henry Arundell, but I’m surprised because I think England have better wingers.

Ollie Hassell-Collins, Adam Radwan and Cadan Murley will certainly be disappointed not to get a chance.

England continues to choose guys who have been around for a long time. With the exception of Freddie Stewart, no player has really broken through as a nailed starter since the last World Cup.

The lack of scrum-half options has long been a concern and even Marcus Smith now looks far from the start. That’s a big disappointment.

Any team could bring England close at the moment and I expect Fiji to terrify Borthwick and his players. England could use a win badly to at least go to France with some momentum behind them and I’m looking forward to seeing Alex Mitchell at scrum-half.

Skipper Courtney Lawes is playing his 100th game, which is a great milestone for a great player. Hopefully he gets a game to remember and England can turn a corner.