England's Andrew Sheridan. Photo / Richard Robinson
As the injured Andrew Sheridan flies home, the dilemma facing England is that they do not have the faintest notion of who their number one No. 1 should be.
There are two contenders: the young London Irish prop Alex Corbisiero, who performed so well against such intimidating opponents as
Martin Castrogiovanni, of Italy, and Nicolas Mas, of France, during this year's Six Nations, and Matt Stevens, of Saracens, who has returned fitter, stronger, more focused and a whole lot happier in mind and spirit following his two-year drugs ban.
Both men are good technicians and both have some football about them.
Stevens' offloading game, first developed during his spell at Bath, is worth its weight in gold in modern rugby, while Corbisiero's ability to take difficult passes and give good ones is equally striking.
At 29, Stevens has had his share of rough passages in the scrum and survived to tell the tale. At 23, Corbisiero experienced a difficult hour or so against Mike Ross, of Ireland, in the Grand Slam match at Lansdowne Road last March, yet finished so strongly that all questions about his competitive make-up were answered there and then.
