Not for the first time this autumn England rugby fans might want to look away.

If the bookmakers are proved correct, then this season's Six Nations Championship will be a three-way race - with England left in the stalls.

France, fresh from victory over world champions South Africa, are favourites, then come Six Nations title holders Ireland, followed a fraction behind by Wales.

England, should the bookies get it right, will finish fourth - matching their lowly position of 2006.

And what about a possible England Grand Slam? 9/1 and drifting, which is punter-speak for 'you're having a laugh.'

There has been a lot said and written about England during the past month - some of it hysterical, some of it predictable, most of it accurate.

And the harsh truth? They are currently second-rate.

Don't take my word for it, just look at the evidence.

England occupy seventh spot in the International Rugby Board world rankings. Don't be fooled, seventh is effectively being on the outside looking in.

And there is something symbolic about them not playing this Saturday, a day when the world's top six go head-to-head as France host New Zealand, Ireland entertain South Africa and Wales meet Australia.

Sympathising with England manager Martin Johnson - it is heartless not to - he did lose several notables through injury, influential players like Andrew Sheridan, Riki Flutey, Phil Vickery, Delon Armitage and Nick Easter, who performed no part during a demoralising month.

Then again, Wales have not seen injured Lions Test trio Lee Byrne, Mike Phillips or Adam Jones in their famous red shirt since last season's Six Nations, and they seem to cope.

Wouldn't it be fantastic if someone from the England camp - player, coach, coach driver, anyone - came out and said it exactly as it is?

When you have lost in try-less fashion at home to Australia and New Zealand, and narrowly beaten Argentina in one of the worst Test matches ever played, no-one wants to hear cliched drivel like "we're taking the positives."

The heroic displays of Lewis Moody apart, there was hardly anything positive to emerge from England's autumn Tests.

But again, why does everyone seem so shocked?

If the England team is a mirror-image of the Guinness Premiership this season, then Johnson's men were an accident waiting to happen.

Much of the Premiership action, quite frankly, has been rubbish.

Endless bouts of aimless kicking - an inevitable consequence, as the laws currently stand - poor skill levels, low try-counts and overwhelmingly-dominant defences.

Of all the Premiership games I have watched since early September, only 40 minutes were worth savouring - Wasps' first-half display against Bath when their wings Tom Varndell and David Lemi cut loose.

Sure, sold-out signs continue to go up throughout England and no-one doubts the slick commercial operation of Premier Rugby in marketing domestic rugby brilliantly, but the action has, by and large, proved abysmal.

And one cannot help thinking things could deteriorate further for England during this season's Six Nations campaign.

Wales will be favourites at Twickenham on the opening weekend, and if England lose that game, it is uphill all the way, with three of their remaining four fixtures scheduled for Rome, Edinburgh and Paris.

It is difficult to imagine them being any worse than they were over the past three weekends, but does anyone realistically expect a huge improvement?

At the moment, France definitely, Ireland certainly and Wales probably are all in possession of one simple thing - better players.

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Workington-born England back Mark Cueto is doing his bit to help raise funds for the Cumbrian flood victims.

Now back at his club Sale Sharks from autumn Test duty, Cueto has helped arrange a collection to take place during Sale's Premiership clash against Wasps at Edgeley Park on Friday night.

"I saw footage of Cumbria on television last week while I was on England duty, and all the landmarks I remember were completely under water," he said.

"On my return to Manchester, I asked Sharks chief executive James Jennings if there was anything we could do as a club, and we agreed that a bucket collection at the game against Wasps would raise some much-needed money and enhance awareness about the flood victims' plight."

Money raised will go to the Cumbria Community Foundation's 'Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund,' which is based at Dovenby Hall in Cockermouth.