A sizeable drawback to coaching England is the amount of time Stuart Lancaster has to spend discussing his players rather than training with them. If the national head coach could be granted two further wishes it would be to arrive at the opening weekend of a Six Nations championship with no injuries and settled combinations in key areas. With a new-look back division due to face France in barely three weeks' time he once again does not have that luxury.

So how come Lancaster seemed in such a jaunty, quietly optimistic mood at Twickenham? The conclusion can be only this: he senses England's well of available talent is now deep enough to cope with all eventualities. The 35-man training squad for the French game contains 11 players aged 23 or younger who will get only better the longer they spend in each other's company. It does not require huge tactical insight to suspect England will be harder to beat by the end of the championship than at the start of it.

So farewell, then, Toby Flood and welcome to a rising tide of exciting fresh blood. Not all of it will feature in Paris but the beauty of this selection is the certainty that the fleet-footed likes of Anthony Watson, Jack Nowell and Jonny May will give everyone a hurry-up. When Marland Yarde (who may be fit again by the middle of the championship), Christian Wade and Manu Tuilagi are back, there will be dangerous space invaders all over the place.

There is clearly more to creating an all-singing, all-dancing back-line than just picking the most eye-catching individuals en bloc. Apart from anything else, they will have to do some defending as well. But looking at some of the other squad names, such as George Ford, Luther Burrell and Kyle Eastmond, it is hard not to wonder what might be possible if Lancaster can glue the right pieces together.

The New Zealand trick of being able to attack down both sides of the field through alert ball-carriers with lethal support runners on both shoulders is finally looking more achievable. In the short term that is likely to involve a new midfield liaison in Paris between Billy Twelvetrees and Burrell, with two from Watson, May, Chris Ashton and Nowell on the flanks.

The first two are probably the narrow favourites at this stage but Lancaster has made a point of stressing his final decision will be partly based on what happens on the training field after the squad gather in Bagshot on 20 January. He could have gone back to David Strettle, the Premiership's top try-scorer this season, but the 19-year-old Watson and the 20-year-old Nowell are representative of a modern generation who can threaten with deceptive power as well as pace.

"I do think they both have points of difference," said Lancaster, who has apparently now decided that full-backs filling in on the wing are no longer the answer.

He also has the option of recalling the fit-again Brad Barritt to his midfield, particularly if injury were to cut down Owen Farrell at any point. With the 60-cap Flood having exited stage left, such a scenario would mean either Ford or Myler at fly-half, the decision having been made to give Freddie Burns a breather and invite him to regain some confidence for the Saxons against the Irish Wolfhounds at Kingsholm on 25 January.

It makes, to use Lancaster's own phrase, for "an interesting dynamic", with Ford playing well enough for Bath to offer a serious threat to his old childhood friend Farrell for the No10 jersey. If the latter believes the presence of his father Andy on the coaching staff will count in his favour, he should think again.

"The ultimate decision-maker on selection is me, not Andy," emphasised Lancaster. "Obviously Andy and Mike Catt give their opinions but, ultimately, I make the final decisions. I don't see it being an issue. They've grown up together as schoolboys and played alongside each other. They actually get on very well."

The desire to stimulate competition in all positions also explains the call-up of Saracens' Richard Wigglesworth, whose presence will keep the three other scrum-halves in the squad on their toes. The same is true of the Leicester lock Ed Slater, a forceful presence for the Tigers who will not be drifting round Pennyhill Park admiring the view.

The one area that may yet keep Lancaster awake at night, however, is tighthead prop. England suddenly look thinner than an after-dinner mint following the news that David Wilson will now miss the first two championship matches. If anything should befall Dan Cole over the next two Heineken Cup weekends, Sale's twice-capped Henry Thomas would have to be pitchforked into Test rugby without a safety net.