As assiduously as England have tried to set aside the bitter disappointment of the 2008 World Cup, their failed campaign has inevitably figured in team discussions in the build-up to tonight’s opening Gillette Four Nations fixture against France.

“When you’re down like that and things aren’t going well, you have to work that bit harder to ensure you’re not there again,” Danny McGuire, the only World Cup survivor in the England back line for the match in Doncaster, said.

“We’ve talked about that this week and we don’t want to let ourselves down. We want to show we’re a good team, that Super League is a good competition and we can compete against the best in the world.”

The reasons why England flopped in Australia 12 months ago are many and varied: individuals from Leeds Rhinos and St Helens did not get on; a lengthy domestic season took its toll; bloated expectations; players struggling with different rule interpretations in the southern hemisphere; confidence ebbing away after an indifferent opening performance against Papua New Guinea.

Tony Smith, the coach, took his share of the blame and has played down a new-look side’s chances of success over the next month.

“Some people here were part of the World Cup experience, others not,” he said. “We’ve got to work out whether our players are fresh enough to perform on the international stage. We can look at last year and make excuses, but maybe there are valid reasons they didn’t perform.”

England are using GPS tracking in training and matches and Smith said: “With monitoring of the players and subtle changes to the way we’re preparing, we’re hoping to freshen them up to perform.

“We’ve had relatively little understanding of how much an individual does in matches and the information we’re getting is revolutionary for us. The benefits will be felt more in the long term, but it’s a start.”

The science is allied to the need for team spirit, which the introduction of a number of youngsters has helped to supply. Smith is building a side with the next five years or more in mind.

Performance, rather than purely results, has always been his measuring rod. “If these boys blend together, show a lot of spirit and cohesion and try their hardest, that’s all I can ask,” he said. “We’d like to think we’re talented enough to come up with some results. But if we get the effort, I’ll be happy.”

He admitted to agonising over whether to partner the maverick Sam Tomkins with McGuire at half back, before opting for the more structured game of Richie Myler, 19, at scrum half against France.

However, Tomkins and Kyle Eastmond, another 20-year-old who is on the bench for his debut this evening, could figure from the start against Australia and New Zealand. “It was a tough call, but we’ve some competition at half back now,” Smith said. “I’d have no hesitation in throwing Sam or Kyle in.”

Nor is McGuire, the old man of the back line at 26, safe from the march of a new generation. “As a senior player, you get a lift off the enthusiasm of the new boys and it stirs you to perform,” the Leeds stand-off said.

“Richie and I struck up a good partnership in the mid-season Test against France. He’s very confident for his age and sure of his own talents, which is brilliant. I’m there to offer any advice, but what I like about this squad is the mix of younger and older heads.”

England, though, cannot afford a “Papua New Guinea moment” against the French, who boast a far stronger team than the one blown away 66-12 in Paris in June.

England: S Briscoe; T Briscoe, L Smith, M Shenton, R Hall; D McGuire, R Myler; A Morley, S Moore, J Peacock (captain), G Ellis, S Burgess, K Sinfield. Interchange: K Eastmond, J Roby, J Graham, B Westwood.
France: C Greenshields; D Pelo, J-P Baile, S Raguin, V Duport; T Bosc, J Wynne; D Ferriol, K Bentley, R Casty, O Elima (captain), J Touxagas, J Fakir. Interchange (from): R Gaggliazzo, T Sadoui, S Martins, M Griffi, C Moly.
Referee: L Williamson (New Zealand).
Television: Live on Sky Sports 2 from 7.30pm (kick-off 8pm).