LONDON, (Reuters) - No team has successfully defended the World Cup and England, drifting aimlessly since their 2003 success, look ill-equipped to rewrite rugby history.

Clive Woodward's side travelled to Australia four years ago hot on the heels of historic wins in Melbourne and Wellington that underscored their stranglehold on the Tri-Nations teams and made them worthy favourites.

Now they go to France having lost an incredible 15 of their last 16 away matches.

Many of the stalwarts of 2003 retired soon afterwards and Woodward and his successor Andy Robinson seemed torn between building a team for the future and trying to cling on to the remnants of the past.

As a Brian Ashton inherited last December a team desperately low on confidence and bereft of ideas.

Arriving with high hopes of installing the expansive, exciting style he craves, Ashton experimented with a series of young tyros but soon recognised it was an impossible job in the time frame available.

Consequently he resorted to the tried and tested when he named his World Cup squad, yet he still goes into the tournament without having played his first-choice XV.

Warm-up games against Wales and France showed that it was to be forward power first, second and third with the backs getting their hands on the ball as a last resort only.

That approach was enough to blast a third-string Wales aside by a record margin but was shown up twice by a far more streetwise France, whose tryline was barely threatened in home and away defeats.

The England pack is huge, strong and effectve and, even lacking the gnarled, winning presence of the class of '03 and with unanswered questions in the back row, will hold its own against anyone in France.

Beyond that, however, they seem stilted. Jonny Wilkinson is finally fit but still looks rusty while scrumhalf Shaun Perry is lively but is no Matt Dawson.

None of the squad's five recognised centres can be sure of his place, let alone be part of a settled combination, wingers Jason Robinson and Josh Lewsey are shadows of their 2003 personas while Mark Cueto remains an experiment at fullback.

The result is a backline who can tackle ferociously but remain desperately short of pace and invention.

However, assuming they do not slip up against Samoa, as they nearly did last time, England still look certain to make the last eight.

A repeat of 2003's pool victory over South Africa should set up a Marseille quarter-final against Wales leading to a Paris semi against France, while defeat by the Springoks throws up Australia and New Zealand as the likely barriers to the final.

Either course will require some mighty performances and though there is little recent indication that those are around the corner, the holders can be at least guaranteed not to give up their title without a fight.