Sherwood is also concerned with assessing angles and off-the-ball movement, but with an important difference. The 1984 FA Cup final is six minutes into the second half. Watford trail 1-0 when Everton’s Trevor Steven delivers a hanging cross. Sherwood gathers, but a second later a thrust of Andy Gray’s forehead dislodges the ball from his grasp to send it spinning into the net. But while Matt Perry has played a lot of his rugby at full-back, Catt has not played centre very often. I tend to echo what people say of frustrated love affairs: if it was meant to happen it would have happened a long time ago..

Fairness and football have always had a compatibility problem, especially when the FA Cup is involved. So it is that after a quarter-century of safe keeping and enough clean sheets to stock the Ritz, Steve Sherwood owes his place in the popular memory to a single moment of misfortune. Of these, Bracken and Diprose went to South Africa as replacements and were not really given much of a chance. Catt went out in a similar capacity and ended up as the Test outside-half, where I thought he did well. Woodward has now put him into the centre in what is – in selection anyway – an adventurous back division.There is, I know, a school of thought which maintains that centre is Catt’s proper position. But though I am emotionally uninvolved in any encounter between England and Australia, I hope Dallaglio thinks a little straighter on Saturday.The other Lions that Woodward has chosen are Mike Catt, Will Greenwood, Kyran Bracken, Martin Johnson, Tony Diprose and Richard Hill.

Whenever Dallaglio chose touch, on one occasion imperiously waving the more sensible Rees away, I said: “Wrong decision.” If Rees had kicked nine points, Wasps would have beaten Brive by two This would have been an injustice I am glad it did not happen. But Woodward has now had the sense to move him to his natural position at loose head and give a deserved chance on the other side to Will Green, who had a good game against Brive on Sunday.Lawrence Dallaglio, by contrast, did not have such a good game – or not, at any rate, at captain. Three times in the second half he threw away a probable three points (for Gareth Rees was in fine form) by opting for the fashionable kick to touch. Roger Uttley said afterwards on television that hindsight was always perfect.Well, I can assure Uttley that with me it was not hindsight at all. I would maintain that a good player remains a good player, and for national selectors to act otherwise is to place even more arbitrary power in the hands of club coaches or rugby managers, who have quite enough of it as things are.In addition to Rodber, three other English Lions forwards find themselves on the shelf: Graham Rowntree (who is however, given a place among the substitutes), Mark Regan and Simon Shaw.

The last two cannot even get into their club first-choice sides, respectively Bath and Wasps.I do not feel quite so sympathetic to them as I do to Stimpson, Bentley, Dawson and Rodber. Not only have they lost form this season; they had lost it in South Africa, and appeared to be distinctly lucky Lions.On his South African performance, Jason Leonard belonged to the same category. What I question is whether he should be allowed to interrupt, in Stimpson’s case, or probably to terminate in Bentley’s, the international careers of his players.The BBC commentator and former Scottish outside-half, Ian Robinson, was saying on the wireless yesterday morning that it would have been madness to pick Stimpson because of his lack of first-team practice. I am not apprised of the details, but with Bentley it seems to be a question of a loss of form, whereas with Stimpson it is more a matter of money.Andrew may be right or wrong.