THOSE who would denigrate Sir Clive Woodward’s brilliant tenure as England head coach - and there are more than a few of them - have the inconvenience of the 2003 World Cup triumph to explain away, but they also have to deal with what Woodward himself regards as a greater achievement: the 12 successive wins that his men achieved over the three southern hemisphere titans, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

This blitzing of the South did more than turn all rugby history on its head; it sent history dizzily revolving. Consider the savaging of the northern hemisphere since that England run of 12 from 12. Since the 2003 World Cup, the six major European teams have played 76 Tests against the southern three. They have won 13, only one more in 76 starts than Woodward managed in 12, Five of those victories have been by France, only eight in total by the five others, and some of the defeats have been avalanches.

That represents a pathetic percentage success rate of 17%, and yet in the majority of games those European teams were at home, well-funded and with enough preparation time (sorry, Twickers, Cardiff and the rest, I never bought the rubbish that you didn’t train together often enough).

It is preposterous to see a hemisphere as some kind of homogenous entity, but there is absolutely no other conclusion to be drawn than that the southern hemisphere is intrinsically superior at rugby by a huge margin. Better, more savvy, more proud, more organised, more successful. How can a scoreboard lie?

The autumn Test series will bring 11 more (home) Tests for the northern six against the southern three, together with further clashes with Argentina, Canada and the Pacific Islanders. It is a vital time for England and Martin Johnson, and I can only pray that Johnson’s likely selection for the Pacific Islanders game scares the opposition - because it terrifies me. It looks full of young men who have not yet made it and older men who are also still waiting to turn Tests.

However, the stakes are enormous everywhere. All the six teams have urgent assignments and it is long past time to turn these southerners over.

Warren Gatland’s Wales have to crack on rapidly from their Grand Slam; Declan Kidney’s new Irish regime needs the oxygen of results and a win over New Zealand would be wondrous; Frank Hadden has to prove that Scotland are genuinely improving, not merely playing in shinier boots, Marc Lievremont that he has left behind his bonkers French selection policy (nobody over 15 allowed) and Nick Mallett’s Italy have to show they can compete. They are all playing at home, they are reasonably rested, they’ve been in camp for ages.

Just one thing. If recent history is repeated, the six teams will win only one game from 11. So what is their excuse? Is history just too big for them? Let us examine the three giants. For different reasons, none will be remotely near their best, all three should be resoundingly beatable for a self-respecting major rugby nation. The visitors are all at the end of a hard season and making long journeys.

New Zealand’s squad is missing a minimum of 10 top-quality players and Graham Henry’s loyal hints that the players he still has at his disposal are better than those scattered round Europe are ridiculous. So you wouldn’t pick Carl Hayman if you could, Graham? As ever, the All Blacks will be about half as good as their followers think they are, though still hardly bad. The power and pride of their collective, the magnificence of their basic skills and ability to adapt to any circumstances cannot hide the fact that a large number of their individuals on this trip would not make a Guinness Premiership club roster. Take, say, Piri Weepu or Jimmy Cowan, the two All Black scrum-halves in Hong Kong yesterday? Hardly galacticos. We’ll get back to you, lads.

Even South Africa’s leading officials admitted that the appointment of Peter de Villiers as the first nonwhite Springbok coach was politically motivated and some of his eccentric
speeches and decisions - arriving in Europe with no fly-half and with hooker John Smit at tighthead prop – seem to prove there was little sporting basis to his elevation. It is clear to me that senior Springboks and de Villiers’s own coaching assistants are gritting their teeth. No team as large and as proud as the Boks will be easy, but they should not be allowed to win all three of their games, against Wales, Scotland and England.

Australia’s air of authority has diminished considerably in recent seasons, although any team with Matt Giteau and Luke Burgess at half-back cannot be feeble. But the coaching reign of Robbie Deans is in its infancy, they have lost key forwards, and Al Baxter and Matt Dunning, the hopeless props, are still in the squad. They play Italy, England, France and Wales. Everything else being equal, they should lose three of those. Shouldn’t they?

Significantly, too, the hemisphere battles will be adversely affected as the teams grope through the ghastly mess that is the law book. Last week, in another desperate attempt to bolster their experimental laws (it never dawns on the IRB that it is their job to give all sides of an argument), Paddy O’Brien, in charge of referees, claimed that a large majority of players are in favour. Poppycock, Paddy.

He also derided what he said were the myths of the ELVs. Well, here are a few: that they were ever needed, that the panel who brought them in was remotely qualified, that the northern hemisphere hates them because we’re scared of a faster game, that any single one of them is working well, and that the ELVs take away the subjective element of refereeing. Enough myths to be going on with there.

O’Brien will need all his energy to create uniformity in these next four weeks, to avoid serious confrontation and to demand that the real laws are applied properly. It is almost certain that at least some of the November Tests will be decided because of the sheer confusion the IRB have created in the ELVs and the other laws. That is very sad.

How will it turn out? New Zealand categorically should not be allowed to Grand Slam the home unions, but they may well do exactly that. Australia should be too weak and too vulnerable, South Africa too confused.

Southern hemisphere superiority should itself also be a myth. But because of the inherent qualities of the game below the equator and due to the failings amongst Europe teams, it is anything but a myth. It is a fact, and will most likely pervade the next hectic month.

What home nations must do

Martin Johnson must forget the manager-speak, be himself and stop giving house room to so many boy scouts

Danny Cipriani, old way beyond his tender years, must take England by the scruff of the tactical and technical neck

England must stop rabbiting on about performance. The future is here, they must start winning Test matches and they must beat New Zealand. Yes, I mean it. They must beat New Zealand

Warren Gatland, the Wales coach, must install Gavin Henson, right, at the centre of his strategies, and they must develop more forward power

Wales, the reigning champions of the northern hemisphere, will only validate their status if they knock off at least one of the three southern hemisphere giants - South Africa, New Zealand or Australia - in Cardiff this month

Ireland are always threatening the elite of world rugby, but the threats always come up empty. They can only be satisfied with their autumn, when they have the easiest fixtures of any team, if they beat New Zealand. Yes, beat New Zealand

Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell, Ireland’s talismans, must prove beyond any doubt whatsoever that they are not sliding down the bad side of the hill

Scotland have to win games, if only to convince themselves that the rest of the sport does not owe them a living

The IRB should spend less time defending the indefensible in the form of the ELVs and more on standardising how the current laws are interpreted by referees