Woodward's great strength is numbers

World Cup countdown: Corry's late gallop makes the pruning difficult - but the final 30 will reveal a powerful hand

It is a question of balance, judgement - and luck. England have their best chance yet of breaking the southern hemisphere arm-lock on the Webb Ellis Cup but today Clive Woodward faces some of his most difficult decisions. He knows, give or take the odd adjustment, his best team, but the far harder task is settling on his best squad.

For England's programme of World Cup warm-up matches, Woodward shuffled from 43 players and in mid-week he told eight of them, in the nicest possible way, to pack their bags and leave the five-star splendour of the Pennyhill Park Hotel in Surrey. "I made those tough decisions earlier than intended,'' Woodward said. "It was in order to give the players as much notice as possible so they can return to their clubs and prepare for the Premiership season. They have been outstanding in their attitude on and off the field.''

Today Woodward has to release another five players before announcing his final World Cup squad of 30. Last night's events against France at Twickenham will have played a part in his decision making but not in the delicate matter of which positions demand most cover.

The England coach had already stated that he would be taking five back-row forwards to Australia next month. Baring injury, it looks straightforward: Neil Back, Richard Hill, Lawrence Dallaglio, Lewis Moody and Joe Worsley. But can he afford to leave Martin Corry at home?

Apart from being a Lion in Australia, Corry's versatility, form and experience make him an ideal player for membership of a World Cup squad. There has been the suggestion that Moody, coming back from a long-standing injury, could miss out, but you only have to recall his form in the autumn, when he looked like something very special in the making, to banish such thoughts.

If Woodward is tempted to take six loose forwards - an area in which the injury rate is high - he will have to lose somebody from the front-row brigade. England, like Wales, could opt for three hookers, and it might be a bit risky taking fewer than five props, another area where the attrition rate is high.

Developments last Thursday did not strengthen Woodward's hand in determining his selection for the backs and nor did they reduce the number of dilemmas. The desperately unfortunate Alex King has not recovered from the knee injury which forced him to leave the field during the match against Wales, a match in which he did many fine things.

Steve Hansen, the Wales coach, has chosen only two specialist outside-halves in Stephen Jones and Ceri Sweeney. Hansen now regards Iestyn Harris, mysteriously omitted against England, as a centre, but the one-time rugby league star could play No 10 if required. Wales are also taking only two scrum-halves, Dwayne Peel and Gareth Cooper, but Hansen sees Shane Williams as a wing who can operate at No 9.

Woodward has said that the role of the utility player is not as relevant as it once was and that if Austin Healey was to return to the country that at the tail-end of the Lions tour he attempted to ridicule, it would be as a scrum-half.

The withdrawal of King may change that. Healey's return appeared to be blocked by the performance of Andy Gomarsall against Wales, leaving the three scrum-halves as Matt Dawson, Kyran Bracken and Gomarsall. Jonny Wilkinson and Paul Grayson are the stand-offs and Healey has re-entered the equation. So has Mike Catt.

Can a Catt look at a King? Woodward drove to Pontypridd to watch the 31-year-old midfielder play for Bath in a friendly, after which Catt joined the England squad for fitness and conditioning tests. Woodward's other option for the No 10 jersey, David Walder, was one of the eight jettisoned last week. So it looks like Healey or Catt, both of whom are coming back from injury. I would go for Healey, not so much because of his versatility but his virtuosity. The Leicester Lip does not just talk a good game. However, if he travels it could endanger Gomarsall's place. As for wing, it appeared that Dan Luger, James Simpson-Daniel and Iain Balshaw were racing for one spot, but that too has changed following Luger's back problem, which prevented him from playing yesterday. The timing of his withdrawal could hardly have been worse.

Luger and Stuart Abbott both scored tries in the emphatic victory over Wales and the latter, who was in prime form for Wasps last season, looks like joining Will Greenwood and Mike Tindall as the centres. Abbott, a product of Stellenbosch University, was approached three months ago by the South African coach Rudi Straeuli with the offer of a Springbok jersey for the World Cup. "I have dedicated myself 100 per cent to Wasps and England,'' said the 25-year-old, whose mother was born in Manchester. If England are content with only three centres, and assuming a 16-14 split between forwards and backs, Ollie Smith will be one of the unfortunate outsiders.

Even so it would not necessarily be the end of the world for those who make the departure lounge but miss the plane. Squads affected by injuries during the course of the World Cup can introduce players from home who have been put on standby.

Woodward is fortunate in that he is spoilt for choice in almost every position. "The positional balance of the 30 is not cast in stone,'' he said. "I have an ideal model in mind but models can be broken up by the form of individuals.''

Woodward and his coaches have given a great deal of thought to the final composition, not least because he admits to having made mistakes in the past. "I didn't use enough replacements in the last World Cup,'' he said. "And I am determined not to do a similar thing again.''

The defeat by South Africa in the quarter-final four years ago, not to mention the setback to New Zealand in the pool stages at Twickenham, still leaves a scar.