As Brian Ashton was about to name his England team to face Tonga earlier this week a cold draught sliced through an open door.

``Jesus,'' said Ashton with a shudder. ``Is he playing?'' shouted one media wag.

``We'd have half a chance of winning then,'' replied head coach Ashton, enjoying a rare light moment at an England World Cup camp which has not been renowned for its jocularity these past weeks.

The hope is that divine intervention at the Parc des Princes tomorrow is not yet required.

Against Tonga, even a Tonga vying for the title of the most improved nation in this tournament, Ashton's team should be able to squeeze out the victory required to progress into the knockout phase of the competition and a quarter final encounter against Australia.

If the words emanating from England's Trianon Palace base here are correct then after their self-proclaimed ``bastard of a week'' last week confidence is on the rise, a steely desire exists to build on the victory against Samoa and a sense of unity is slowly beginning to arrive.

Not before time.

It is a measure of just how far England have fallen that there still remains a deal of apprehension, however, against a side they beat 101-10 in the 1999 World Cup.

True, Tonga have come a long way since then and many of their players now operate in the Guinness Premiership and are familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of English players.

But if England cannot beat the Pacific Islanders they deserve to exit the competition with the humiliating tag of the worst world champions in World Cup
history.

My bet, although I would hesitate to risk more than the odd Euro, is that it will not happen.

Ashton should be applauded for resisting the temptation to restore World Cup captain and tight head prop Phil Vickery to the starting line-up after his two-match suspension. Matt Stevens was at the heart of the improved performance against Samoa and deserves his extended run.

Martin Corry, too, will gain from Ashton's faith in him as captain on the pitch and the two changes, Ian Borthwick for Simon Shaw and Lewis Moody for Joe Worsley, will add solidity to the line-out and mobility around the park.

But it is whether England can successfully forge the link between forwards and backs and start to play with a semblance of unity which will determine how far they could yet go in this tournament.

The performance of Andy Gomarsall at scrum-half against Samoa raised hopes that they are at least heading in the right direction.

Yet if they are to beat Tonga, let alone Australia in the quarter-final, they need to play with greater verve and higher tempo. They need to outscrummage the Tongans and that will not be easy against more technically accomplished opponents than Samoa.

They need quick ball to allow Jonny Wilkinson more options to free a threequarter line which has looked ponderous to date, with the exception of Paul Sackey's two tries against Samoa.

Most of all they must improve their kicking game which has been lamentable so far at this World Cup, against Samoa failing to make touch from their own 22 metres line with worrying regularity.

Gift such easy possession to the Tongans and they would be packing their bags for home.

More likely is that England's power, especially their capacity to retain concentration in the latter stages, plus the ability of Wilkinson to keep the scoreboard ticking, will see them through.

But expect it to be nervy. So much so that, while the Lord may not be playing, England fans might care to offer him a prayer.