ENGLAND rugby coach Stuart Lancaster is planning to pick Roy Hodgson’s brains at Twickenham next month. 

With less than two years to go before England host the World Cup, Lancaster is about to cop the sort of pressure usually piled on football boss Hodgson.
He has previously given a talk to the England rugby squad and Lancaster intends to invite him to rugby HQ after his success in guiding the Three Lions to the World Cup finals.
Lancaster has plenty of injury problems with centres Anthony Allen, Manu Tuilagi and Brad Barritt out of the Tests against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand.

     

Uncapped Joel Tomkins, Luther Burrell and Henry Trinder yesterday joined Billy Twelvetrees and Kyle Eastmond on Lancaster’s roster but Trinder is also injured, so this weekend’s European ties will be critical.
This will apply especially to Twelvetrees, suddenly England’s senior centre with five caps. Having suffered this season from the weakness of the Gloucester tight forwards, he was saved by his team’s Heineken Cup showing last Saturday.
That took place when he was shifted to fl y-half after Freddie Burns’ withdrawal and toughens Twelvetrees’ case to become the lasting inside centre England have not properly had since Will Greenwood starred at the 2003 World Cup.
Saracens play Toulouse at Wembley tomorrow in what amounts to a final trial for Tomkins but also for Mako Vunipola at loose-head prop, now Alex Corbisiero is having more knee trouble.