After his display in Paris on Saturday night, the calls for Iain Balshaw to be dropped from the England side must have been ringing louder in Brian Ashton’s ears than the Stade de France fireworks display.

There were spectators in the back row of the stadium closer to the ball than the Gloucester No.15 when he flailed at an up and under in the first half, and things got worse for him later in the game when even BBC commentator Brian Moore began barking at him to get back into position rather than try and defend at the blindside fringe of a ruck.
“You’re a full-back,” cried Moore. “Get back behind your back line!”

You know you’re in trouble when a long-retired hooker starts trying to teach you the basics of positional full-back play. It’s akin to those moments when, as a front row forward, your scrum’s going backwards and your winger starts screaming ‘puuuuush!’

In most cases, the inhabitants of those dark areas are entitled to turn around to the guy on the wing warming his hands and invite him to come and see what it feels like to try and hold off 18st of aggressive, grunting testosterone mainly using your neck.

For Balshaw, however, he could have done worse than turn to the commentary box, cup his ear and ask ‘Mooro’ to repeat himself.

Time surely has to be up for him now. Every side has a weak area, and some, such as Italy in respect of their fly-half crisis, have little or no option but to plough on with square pegs wedged uncomfortably into round holes.

The luxury Ashton has is that there are players straining at the leash for a start, players who would offer more in attack than Balshaw, and a surety in the last line of defence that seems to have crumbled in tandem with the current incumbent’s confidence.

The Cipriani/Wilkinson debate at No.10 will, you sense, be settled in the latter’s favour until his fitness fails him, but the Wasps youngster proved himself capable of playing full-back last season for his club and has the temperament to do the job at Test level, gaining invaluable big match experience in the process.

Behind him, his club colleague Josh Lewsey continues to be ignored as an option in the No.15 jersey, Ashton having declared that he sees him only as a wing, and a wing well down the current pecking order. He once said the same of Jason Robinson, before switching him back to full-back where he could do most damage and inspire England to an unlikely World Cup final.

Ashton’s mantra of picking players on form has been questioned in the past after he showed loyalty to players not necessarily at the top of their game, while others were kicking the door down with performances for their clubs. He gave in where Andy Gomarsall was concerned last weekend and was repaid with a fine display from Richard Wigglesworth.

If he doesn’t take the same approach when it comes to selecting a full-back to face the up-and-under-happy Scots or a revitalised Ireland, and the looming spectre of a barrage of Ronan O’Gara bombs, he could be left to rue the consequences.