So the end is near… or it certainly will be soon if England’s rugby players carry on trying to do it their way. One thing we can be certain about: England are not going to win the World Cup. There is a chance they might not get out of their group; Argentina are properly good and Samoa will be hard to beat. Even Japan could give England the run-around, though they are not the team they were. At this rate, England might finish up even lower than eighth – their current position in the rankings – come the end of the tournament.

Time for rugby’s answer to ‘Bazball’. Not to go and smash everything and everyone they see, but to play with freedom and joy. Pass the ball, look for space, play tricks, play fast, play without a care in the world. That won’t get them beyond a quarter-final but at least it would be fun to watch. Which is more than can be said for the 30-22 humiliation by Fiji last weekend.

I know France’s fleet-footed centre Gaël Fickou and flying wing Damian Penaud are exceptional, but their performance in France’s blistering 41-17 walloping of the Wallabies made you realise quite how poor the England backline is. Oh for players in an England shirt who could run with the same sense of purpose and ambition. That’s why Marcus Smith must start – with Danny Care or Alex Mitchell as his No. 9. Smith is England’s best (only?) flair player, and if the Ford/Farrell combo means everything to the coach, Smith could also work well at full back, where Freddie Steward has been pretty anonymous.

Hopefully the World Cup will open rugby’s eyes to the idea of ending the hierarchy of tiers. Fiji, Georgia and Samoa are all ranked above Italy, with Tonga and Japan just behind them. And everyone not called Dai should get behind Fiji. The opening three nights of the World Cup next week are huge (France vs New Zealand on Friday, England vs Argentina, on Saturday and Wales vs Fiji on Sunday). It is going to be fun, so England should try to have some. Scotland and Ireland certainly will. Say no to the system, and yes to showtime.

It’s old-fashioned, I know, but what-ever happened to accountability? Bill Sweeney is the lavishly remunerated and largely invisible head cheese at England Rugby, but I am not sure why he is still in post. His record  is so ropey he makes Liz Truss look like Winston Churchill: clubs going bust, a national team in free fall and kids turning their backs on the game in droves. But unlike Truss he has lasted considerably longer than 49 days. With a bit of luck he should be on his way after the World Cup, and then a root-and-branch overhaul of the professional game can take place. But who is the man or woman for the job? Richard Gould and Richard Thompson have just taken over the running of English cricket, and a damn good fist they are making of it. Now let’s find another top duo for Twickenham.

As for the interminable snog-gate row from the women’s World Cup final, the Spanish should just sack their man: it would save a lot of hassle and mean that Mum could come out of her church in Motril (southern Spain, if you’re interested) and have a much-needed plate of paella.

But if I were the FA head honcho Mark Bullingham and England had just won the World Cup inspired by Jude Bellingham, I would probably be tempted to give him a smacker on the mouth. I doubt anyone would say a word (though Jude might) and it could even be seen as liberating.

Meanwhile, with the 2026 men’s World Cup not as far away as you might think, it’s good to see that Bellingham and Harry Kane are lighting up two of the most powerful clubs in Europe with shape-shifting performances for, respectively, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Worth a peck on the cheek in anybody’s language.