“TWENTY-ONE of the World Cup squad are included,” said Brian Ashton at the announcement of England’s 32-man man squad for the forthcoming Six Nations, “and 17 of them made the 22 in the final.”

It was supposed to be a promise of stability but it sounded like a conservative threat. This from the man who declared last August that the World Cup was a race against time and that “come January I’ll have a close look at the lifespan of some of these players and see if it’s appropriate for them to stay in the squad”.

The message was clear back then. Ashton, as a caretaker coach, had a short-term job to do, but given the England manager’s role full-time, you would see a different Ashton, the real McCoy. Instead, men such as Mark Regan and Simon Shaw, both of whom will be pushing 40 come the next World Cup, are automatic selections and Phil Vickery, injured but when playing being consistently eclipsed by Matt Stevens, is retained as captain when the case to be made for the younger man’s inclusion is unequivocal.

The World Cup is widely perceived as a watershed, the natural start and end point of a four-year international cycle, yet Ashton’s opinion has been transformed. This next Six Nations is no longer a fresh start with Ashton in full command but merely the second half of the same season. This change of philosophy allows him to justify and keep faith with the players that slugged their way to the World Cup final. “Momentum” developed in France must not be lost. A fresh start would have made momentum surplus to demand and allowed a few more risks to be taken.

England seem set to start with the same front five that heroically muscled England to credibility and beyond before coming up short against South Africa. The crux of the “stability” theory revolves around the set-piece. Hence the continued presence of Regan, who was, no doubt, a central cog in the success of the set-piece but pretty much jogs from one scrum or lineout to the next without doing much in between. For his club, Bristol, he is still worth his weight in gold but for England his presence is anathema. The manager talks about maintaining stability and momentum but there remains an echo of the old Ashton when he talks of England “moving on” – that if they do not expand their game the rest of the world will leave them behind.

Yes, Regan gives a team solid foundation but while solid foundations will stop something blowing over in the wind, as England did against Wales in Cardiff last season, too much cement makes it impossible to move. His inclusion is not the balance between winning and performance England should be seeking but an indicator that winning is all that matters.

Like his predecessor Andy Robinson, Ashton is liable to get a stiff neck looking backwards. How else can Vickery be confirmed as captain? He all but admits it is a decision based on recent rather than future events: “It was not a difficult choice. I stood by Phil in difficult times last year just as he stood by me, and together we came through . . . and from what I’ve seen of him recently, he is still good enough to start a Six Nations game.”

Well, he might be good enough – when 100% fit – to start a Six Nations game, but that does not discount the fact that Stevens, the best tighthead in Europe, might be a lot better. The Bath prop, either starting or coming off the bench, was one of England’s most dynamic performers in the World Cup. His skilful offloading and hard tackling gives Ashton everything he wants from a prop. Personal loyalty to Vickery is an admirable trait but the flip-side is that it represents a gross injustice to Stevens. Given Mike Tindall’s consistency this season and the similar nononsense, lead-from-the-front attributes of Vickery, he would have been a seamless substitution as captain.

Away from the names that are likely to appear in the 22, there is ill-conceived conservatism. Either Louis Deacon or Steve Borthwick will not be among the replacements, so why include both known factors in the squad? And why not have a look at the best lineout forward in the country, London Irish’s Nick Kennedy? After all, being dismantled at the lineout cost England a launch pad in the final.

Why include Charlie Hodgson? Although the most rounded of the three fly-halves on current form, everybody knows that Jonny Wilkinson and Danny Cipriani will be named as starter and replacement. Create room for either Ryan Lamb or Shane Geraghty. And why keep tentative Mark Cueto at the expense of the fast-maturing Tom Varndell?

The press office did a fine job. Early briefings on the inclusion of Lesley Vainikolo guaranteed the giant wing the largest slice of newsprint the next day. Together with the inclusion of Tom Croft, he was the best selection in the squad, selections based on potential and the future, not just experience and the past. This squad is the price of Ashton’s one-year rolling contract. It places all the pressure upon winning to the detriment of development.

The pursuit of the next win and pursuing excellence are not the same thing.