What is sauce for England's goose is far less so for their opponents at Twickenham next week, the ganders of the Pacific Islanders. While Martin Johnson can send his elite squad members home to rest over the weekend, the Islanders will count anxiously into their Heathrow hotel tomorrow those who have been involved in club games, at various European venues, before assessing their fitness.

In England, for example, the experienced Fiji scrum half and captain, Moses Rauluni, will play for Saracens in their EDF Energy Cup game with Bristol this afternoon and Aleki Lutui will hook for Worcester Warriors against Harlequins tomorrow. London Irish have named Sailosi Tagicakibau and Seilala Mapusua in tomorrow's crucial pool C game with the cup holders, the Ospreys.

“It's massive that we don't have games this weekend,” Johnson, the England team manager, said. “We don't have to wait for Sunday night to know who's in and who's out. We have put principles into place this week, the basics of our game, our fall-back position, foundation stuff without the focus of playing on Saturday. So next week we can be more specific in terms of the game ahead.”

No such luxury for the Islanders, although it is something they have become accustomed to. It will not make them any less combative at Twickenham but bringing the different styles of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa into a coherent whole in no more than three sessions is hardly ideal; at least Mapusua and Tagicakibau can tell them about playing at Twickenham, having appeared there for the Irish in the London double-header that opened the Guinness Premiership season.

For now, though, the exiles are focused on upsetting a Welsh apple cart that has rattled a merry way through the EDF competition. Before this weekend, regional teams led three of the four pools and the Ospreys leave no doubt about their enthusiasm for a third successive visit to Twickenham for the final. “We were pleased with our overall performance last weekend [against Worcester],” Sean Holley, their acting head coach, said. “We know that the outcome of the group is in our own hands. Many of our players have points to prove, be they in terms of Ospreys selection or international selection.” Gavin Henson, Shane Williams and James Hook, having trained with Wales earlier this week, will feature in the back division at the Madejski Stadium and the semi-final draw will be made afterwards.

In simple terms, a win or a draw at Kingston Park against Newcastle Falcons will send Gloucester through from pool A, although London Wasps, who field Josh Lewsey on the wing, are not out of the picture. A draw or a win puts the Ospreys through, as is true for the Scarlets in pool D, though their opponents, Northampton, have everything to play for.

The RFU has banned Nick de Scossa, the former Bristol chief executive, from buying international-match tickets for five years. The last two years of the ban were suspended after De Scossa pleaded guilty to conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game, in which he pretended that he held a position with the RFU that he did not occupy.