World Cup daily: Robshaw and Lancaster carry weight as England face crunch game

And so it comes down to this. Knowing that defeat against Australia on Saturday will send the hosts out of the competition, the obituaries are already being written in haste about England's senior leaders. Captain Chris Robshaw is not up to the task, argue most of Friday's newspapers (either as a flanker or a director, apparentl), while coach Stuart Lancaster has apparently promised to fall on his sword should the unthinkable happen come full-time at Twickenham.

"I understand the consequences, I understand where the accountability and responsibility lies and it is with me,” Lancaster said on Thursday.

“We’re obviously aware what is at stake – you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work it out. There’s not been any further conversation about the ramifications of defeat or victory. [The RFU] knows and I know that all we’ve got to do is focus on Saturday.”

Wales's 23-13 victory over Fiji on Thursday afternoon removed any safety net England might have had, although Warren Gatland's side's inability to grab a bonus point may perhaps have lessened Australia's own desperation to win at Twickenham (not necessarily consciously, but somewhere in the back of the mind). Indeed, the game is now a potentially redemptive one for England - if they win, and they did last time they met Australia, then they will be a four-try victory over Uruguay away from a guaranteed knockout spot.

Not only that but they will quite possibly finish top of the group (assuming Wales, running out of players, cannot get past an Australia team they haven't beaten in 10 attempts), ensuring all their knockout games will be at Twickenham - easing their path to the final. From the depths of despair could come a signposted path to ultimate glory.

It is a boom or bust situation for England then, for Robshaw and Lancaster. Cowed into mental mistakes against Wales, the importance of the situation now must instead free up the side to play a more expansive style of rugby that pressurises an Australian team that has oscillated between impressive and mediocre against top sides in recent months.

Some may have already written England off - will the camp really want to prove such pessimistic outlooks right?

Friday's newspapers make tough reading for England captain Chris Robshaw, with almost all running a feature on him espousing the idea that he is not quite up to the task of leading the host nation.

The Daily Mail go a step further, with Martin Samuel pouncing on Robshaw's mention that he likes to walk his amusingly diminutive dog (Rico, an affenpinscher) to take his mind off everything that surrounds England's tournament.

In the eyes of the public, however, Robshaw is no [Martin] Johnson. He is not so much an inspirational leader, as a fortunate son. Fortunate to be chosen by Lancaster when options were limited, fortunate that RFU policy, supported by the coach, keeps Steffon Armitage exiled in France.

... If England lose to Australia and Lancaster goes down, in all likelihood he takes Robshaw with him. As Lancaster’s patronage is considered solely responsible for his elevation, he will be equally associated with any failure.

At least then Robshaw will have more time for dog-walking...

With qualification for the 2019 tournament on Georgia's mind, a certain amount of rotation has been planned so the squad are in tip-top shape for their final match against Namibia - where they can clinch third in Pool C (and avoid the qualification process for the next RWC). That diminishes the prospect of this match being a strong contest but, given the dynamic, can you blame the Europeans? New Zealand were likely to win comfortably anyway, but it would have been interesting to see how many problems a full-strength Georgian side could have posed them.

The weekend begins with a big match for both sides, as quarter-final hopes will either be built or dashed in Milton Keynes. Japan were remarkable against South Africa but then seemed to succumb to fatigue when they went down to Scotland - so which version will turn up now they have had a week to rest up? Samoa will not take the challenge lightly and, after scraping past the United States and then being hammered by South Africa, will know they will need to be much better if they are to get an important victory to keep their tournament firmly alive.

This game in Newcastle could well decide who ends up topping Pool B, something with significant ramifications for the layout of the knockout stages. South Africa were stunned by Japan but have rebounded (to an extent) since then, but Scotland have been perfect so far (two games, two winning bonus points) and will fancy their chances of exposing any lingering cracks in the Springbok armour.

The big one, the one everyone has been waiting for. Wales's victory over Fiji on Thursday - sans bonus point - means both sides know where they stand heading into this game at Twickenham: England simply cannot afford to lose, while Australia know they can knock out a major rival for overall victory with a win. That will ensure the stakes are sky-high - England will hope the return of Jonathan Joseph ensures they avoid becoming the first tournament hosts to fail to escape the pool stage.