How Will England Fare in the Autumn Internationals?

The autumn is a very special time for rugby in this country. After the palate has been tickled by the first fixtures of the domestic league season, with a sprinkling of Heineken Cup clashes thrown just to hold the attention, these Test matches represent a sumptuous main course.

This year's itinerary will be all the more fascinating given the fact that the 2011 World Cup, to be held in New Zealand, is looming very large. As well as the usual sub-plots, the Davids of the home nations throwing all they can at  southern hemisphere Goliaths, each individual will be straining every sinew to stake a selection claim that will prove unassailable for the next eighteen months.

To expand on Jim Telfer's spine-tingling metaphor, in terms of the players' careers, these internationals could be the foothills that lead to Everest.

In chronological order, Martin Johnson's England are scheduled to face New Zealand, Australia, Samoa and South Africa. There is no place to hide.

Like all of the rugby world, Johnson will doubtlessly have glimpsed flashes of the Tri-Nations series that this year, as is usually the case, was saturated with astounding skill, especially from the Antipodeans.

Full of high-scoring encounters, the tournament showcased some scintillating running and handling. Players such as Quade Cooper, the Wallaby stand-off, Keiran Read, the Kiwi loose-forward and Gio Aplon, the diminutive Springbok winger, are sure to capture the imagination of British crowds wherever they go.

However, there are certainly reasons to be cheerful at Twickenham. England come into the opening contest against Graham Henry's All Blacks with an interesting statistical advantage.

In their last match, Johnson's charges tied the Cook Cup  by winning 21-20 at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney, helped by an electric try off the back of a lineout by Leicester's young scrum-half Ben Youngs. Conversely, New Zealand come into the HQ clash having had a 15-match winning sequence halted in spectacular fashion by, you guessed it, Australia.

England will know that rugby is played on grass, not paper; and if they do not already, the haka on November 6 will remind them. Either way, results are essential. The public are tired of being told that a good performance is the most important box  to tick.

Should they go down to an All Black avalanche, the ensuing, crucial, year will pass very slowly and very painfully. Johnson's hot-seat will start to make him sweat again and the Six Nations will be a firefighting exercise. Triumph, and the mountainous former lock will be a trusted hero once more.

So how will England do this autumn? Will they ignite a public belief that Johnson may be able to get his massive paws around Webb-Ellis gold once more? Or will despair descend on Twickenham?

Let us know your thoughts.