Any worthwhile experience is hard-earned. The last thing, therefore, that Martin Johnson wants to do today when he names his revised England squad is to toss away the cumulative lessons absorbed during the three games against New Zealand, South Africa and Australia last autumn.

If he can complement existing experience without compromise, he will. Johnson, the England team manager, wants to eradicate the pillar-to-post mentality of the past five years but if injuries and form permit the return of, say, Mike Tindall and Mark Cueto to his senior squad, then the overall effect should be positive.

But those may be the easy decisions he has made after consultation with his coaching staff. The harder ones surround players such as Matt Stevens and Andrew Sheridan, players who have more than 20 caps in their locker and who should be central to the development of England during the next two years but, for differing reasons, have yet to be perceived in that core role.

“Everyone wants to win the Championship, but we can only go one step at a time,” Steve Borthwick, the Saracens lock who seems certain to retain the captaincy, said yesterday. “We all, players and management, know each other that much better after the autumn series. Without question we should have put on a better performance, we let ourselves and the supporters down.

“But the new agreement isn’t a quick fix, it just gives us the opportunity to spend time together and develop as a team. We expect to do that anyway as the Six Nations unfolds but, even though the results in the autumn were poor, they have given us a foundation.

“Since then we’ve gone back to our clubs and I believe I’ve become better by working on a day-to-day basis with Eddie Jones. Other players will feel the same, the motivation is there, what it needs is direction and that comes back to knowing each other as individuals. England are sixth in the world, we need to be higher, we need to be the best in the world.”

Tindall, the Gloucester centre, and Cueto, the Sale Sharks wing, are the older heads on Johnson’s radar, while the new wave will be headed by Delon Armitage, the London Irish full back who leapfrogged over so many to become England’s outstanding player last November. That Olly Morgan’s finger injury is not as bad as Gloucester feared last weekend — the full back suffered a dislocation rather than a fracture and may not even miss Sunday’s Heineken Cup game with Cardiff Blues — should allow his promotion, too.

Other young contenders include Ben Foden, Matt Mullan and Chris Robshaw. Whether Foden considers himself primarily a scrum half at Northampton does not necessarily matter, because he has demonstrated that he can play rugby almost anywhere in the back division. Mullan, the Worcester Warriors tight-head prop, is highly regarded by some good front-row judges, although there are concerns about a nagging shoulder injury.

All being well, the 21-year-old will certainly be in the Saxons squad, which will also be named today. He could even join the elite brigade, as could Robshaw, the Harlequins flanker. There is stiff competition in the back row, but few positions have been nailed down.

Saracens, meanwhile, will head for South Africa for a mid-season break this month. They will play the Stormers at Newlands on January 25 and Boland in George on January 28.

David Lemi, the Bristol wing, has been banned for two weeks by the RFU disciplinary panel after pleading guilty to making a dangerous tackle on Paul Diggin, the Northampton back, ten days ago. He will be available for selection for the European Challenge Cup game at home to Montpellier on January 25.

The axeman cometh

Elite-squad members at risk:

Injured Tom Palmer (London Wasps), Tom Rees (London Wasps), James Simpson-Daniel Gloucester), Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle Falcons)

Form/fitness Jordan Crane (Leicester), Dan Hipkiss (Leicester), Peter Richards (London Irish), Mathew Tait (Sale Sharks)

On the rise

Backs Delon Armitage (London Irish), Danny Cipriani (London Wasps), Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks), Ben Foden (Northampton), Olly Morgan (Gloucester), Mike Tindall (Gloucester)

Forwards Steffon Armitage (London Irish), Nick Easter (Harlequins), Michael Lipman (Bath), Matt Mullan (Worcester Warriors), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins)