They came from nowhere, but travelled far. Twice in succession would have been boring, would it not? No, of course not. It would have been glorious, but it was not to be. They can cancel the booking in Trafalgar Square and I suppose if you are going to be horribly po-faced about it, you could say that apart from two games, the four-year defence of their world title was fairly grisly.

However, my feeling is that England can come home tomorrow with shoulders squared and marching under a billowing ensign of sporting battle. Consider the import of those two games, anyway. They were majestic occasions, the quarter- and semi-finals of a World Cup, and England took on and beat two giants of the sport.

For their spirit in adversity, their fabulous revival and their resistance, this bunch have become as loved in England and among the hordes who went to Paris to support them as the 2003 champions. It is not a question of being happy in defeat or accepting second best. It is a question of celebrating a team that pushed itself to the last millimetre of its ability and the last drop of its strength.

Even if they had lost in the semi-final or been wiped out last night in Paris by 50 points, I do not sense that the team would have arrived home to find English rugby union enveloped in depression. The supernova day against Australia and Jonny’s clinical closing of the shutters against France redeemed them. They were never less than totally committed, and three players – Jason Robinson, Andrew Sheridan and Simon Shaw – were magnificent.

Total rugby? Not really, chaps. They never achieved coherence in the midfield, or minefield as it has become known. They were never enough of a threat in terms of power or penetration behind the scrum, and although they played brightly, it was really no more than bees buzzing round a honey jar. The back three as a team in attack were never able to gel. What did gel was England’s team spirit, and a cleverness from the coaches of how they could allow the spirit to soar and the weaknesses to be hidden. And finally, with all their experience in the tumult of the Guinness Premiership, these industrial diamonds knew how to close out a match. Other teams, the All Blacks included, never had the foggiest.

There is also excitement at what lies ahead. In France these past weeks, the power of the domestic professional rugby structure there and in England has been vindicated, while the efficiency of the structures in Ireland, Scotland and Wales have been thrown into serious doubt. The great clubs have had a great tournament and they haven’t even been here.

For a start, the club leagues have produced hardened professionals for Argentina, Fiji, Canada, Samoa, Georgia and many other teams, and they wield increasing influence in the world of rugby. It has also been proved that domestic and cross-border structures where the action is tribal, where there is relegation and, therefore, no smug softness, produce more passion and interest and commercial activity, and more players who know how to win. We now await a galaxy of overseas talent coming to England to thrill us in the main competitions and to improve themselves. The season did not end in Paris last night. It began.

But in the affairs of the national team, last night must only be a beginning as well. This morning England must rest on their laurels not for a second, they must never allow another posttournament destruction. They must pay tribute to the revitalised men who won mighty self-respect in France 2007 and who caused the nation to rise up again in support and hope; yet they must attack the causes of the malaise which dragged them so low that humiliation in the tournament seemed a formality. React to whichever you wish, but do not fail to react.

All eyes turn to Rob Andrew, the director of elite rugby, who has been in the job long enough to start flexing his muscles. We have been briefed that he will be appearing at more press conferences, since Brian Ashton is not comfortable with them. Sorry, but the vast scope of Andrew’s job at Twickenham should carry him well above the urge to sit down with a bunch of hacks. That barks of fudging, not vision.

It must seem churlish at best and deeply sacrilegious at worst, for me to suggest that even the role of Ashton, that wonderfully engaging and delightful man, should be examined, but I still wonder if this fine coach should be set at the head of the whole operation. Does he want to be the man who barks and manipulates the media, the opposition, the referee, the squad, the world? For better or worse, these days that is what is needed.

Here’s another angle. Is it not preposterous at a time when England still need clarion figures, that Martin Johnson is on the speaking circuit? I sat down with Johnson last week and as usual, found his insight, his rugby intelligence, his grasp of issues all phenomenally impressive. “I have no experience of the job,” he said. Fine, Martin. You do the job however you think fit. It may be odd to rock the lifeboat that became a battleship, but I would ask Johnson to take charge, to give England a new momentum that would be feared around the world, and install Ashton as head coach so that he can do just that – coach.

The day Sir Clive Woodward drove out of Twickenham after resigning as head coach in September 2004, the affairs of the national team changed utterly. They went from visionary, to bumbling, with piecemeal appointments and sticking-plaster solutions. First, Andy Robinson was grafted on as a new head to the body of the existing coaching team. The whole thing had a profoundly uncomfortable feel, Robinson lacked authority and he lacked a discernible vision.

Ashton succeeded him. In one way he was the best man, but it was another decision made by shuffling the existing pack, rather than dealing with a new deck. Then Andrew came in. It was another fudge – he was responsible for appointing people, but those people were already appointed.

This is a great time to revamp the vision to go for global dominance. Andrew needs to sit back, ignore media conferences and see how coaching and playing squads fit together and augment each other. Now is the time, if Ashton is to stay, to give him his own choices, men of his own philosophies.

The players are a different matter. Do not see this as the end of an era. What I would not do is hurry players towards retirement for the sake of it, just because they are of advancing years. Back to the old debate. Win or development? There is a deadly danger that England will decline again by too many people talking too much tripe about the younger players. Yes, England will become younger, but only by a process of natural wastage, not by culling.

England will restore their heady momentum and the Rugby Football Union’s tills will be again ringing merrily if they keep winning game after game. Starting with the next one, and the one after that. Take Shaw. It is almost certain that by February, he will still be the finest lock available to England. But sure as anything, you will hear and read people dribbling on that because he will not be around for the 2011 World Cup, he must not be chosen in 2008. That is a short route to disintegration. Win. That is all there is.

It is what Woodward demanded, and England forgot.

There is a group of men of wisdom to bring in to pilot the squad. There are talents such as Mike Tindall, Ben Cohen, Dylan Hartley, Tom Palmer, Danny Cipriani, Dan Ward-Smith and James Haskell to freshen up the team. Next is the Six Nations. That must be the limit of the horizon for now.

Our England teams for the 2011 Rugby World Cup

Stephen Jones’s XV Manager Martin Johnson
Head coach: Brian Ashton
Assistant coaches: Mike Cron, Shaun Edwards
15 Chris Ashton (Nthptn) 14 Nick Abendanon (Bath) 13 Dan Hipkiss (Leicester) 12 Jordan Turner-Hall (Harlequins) 11 Delon Armitage (London Irish) 10 Danny Cipriani (Wasps) 9 Harry Ellis (Leicester) 1 Andrew Sheridan (Sale) 2 Dylan Hartley (Nthptn) 3 Matt Stevens (Bath) 4 Tom Croft (Leicester) 5 Richard Blaze (Leicester) 6 James Haskell (Wasps, capt) 7 Tom Rees (Wasps) 8 Jordan Crane (Leicester)

Stuart Barnes’s XV Manager Brian Ashton
Forwards coach Dean Ryan
Skills and defence coach Shaun Edwards
15 Nick Abendanon (Bath) 14 Dave Strettle (Harlequins) 13 Adam Powell (Saracens) 12 Toby Flood (Newcastle, capt) 11 James Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester) 10 Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle) 9 Harry Ellis (Leicester) 1 Andrew Sheridan (Sale) 2 Dylan Hartley (Nthptn) 3 Matt Stevens (Bath) 4 Richard Blaze (Leicester) 5 Tom Palmer (Wasps) 6 Tom Croft (Leicester) 7 Tom Rees (Wasps) 8 James Haskell (Wasps)

Nick Cain’s XV Manager Martin Johnson
Head coach Richard Hill
Skills and defence coach Shaun Edwards
15 Danny Cipriani (Wasps) 14 Paul Sackey (Wasps) 13 James Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester) 12 Jon Clarke (Nthptn) 11 Tom Varndell (Leicester) 10 Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle, capt) 9 Harry Ellis (Leicester) 1 Andrew Sheridan (Sale) 2 Dylan Hartley (Nthptn) 3 Matt Stevens (Bath) 4 Nick Kennedy (London Irish) 5 Richard Blaze (Leicester) 6 Tom Croft (Leicester) 7 Tom Rees (Wasps) 8 James Haskell (Wasps)