IN THE irascible aftermath of England's moderate victory over Western Samoa probably the last thing Jack Rowell needed was a visit to Parc des Princes (2.00 p.m.) to try once more to demonstrate the efficacy of "dynamic", "inclusive", "all encompassing" rugby.

At the outset of another Five Nations' Championship, precisely what these expressions mean in practice has still to be determined, and until Will Carling's team play in these ways we will not actually find out. Both captain and manager have talked a good game as long as Rowell has held his position and in Carling's ease since long before but with the odd notable exceptions talk is all it has been.

Carling has been at it again this week declaring his squad's view of the primacy of style over the substance of simple victory, of the future over the present. Laudably far sighted as this is the response of English adherence to this stylistic imperative can easily be imagined if it were to entail defeat.

And though Carling's England have won four times in succession in Paris defeat this afternoon is an eventuality that is all to possible to a team generally in transition and specifically with unproven halt backs.

Well paid they may now be, but on their behalf Carling pleads for patience and understanding. "We have brought in some new, younger players, very exciting players who are going to take a while to find their feet," he said. "Maybe we have tried too fast to play an all encompassing type of rugby." All the more reason, then, for Carling to assume the responsibilities of captaincy more fully than was ever necessary when he was comfortingly accompanied by Rob Andrew, Brian Moore and the rest.

Carling must now perhaps for the first time in his captaincy lead not only by personal example but also by tactical command. The South Africa and Samoa matches were perfect perfectly awful examples of the English habit even during the years of success of failing to address on the hoof the specific problems thrown up by specific circumstances.

The ready response is to Carling for not taking mat's in hand, in the sense that if the certain does not do so who will Carling has thus been left in no doubt by the manager that more is expected of him both as player and captain and his response has been to lead what Rowell calls the "blackboard sessions" during this week's preparations both in London and Paris.

It is Carling's misfortune that not all of his players are necessarily all that with the game plan even now and yesterday's 20 minutes to the Club Orsay will not have made any difference. In the aftermath of the cosy Geoff Cooke era, it was Rowell's intention to sew a certain uncertainty in his players in order, supposedly, to challenge them to broaden their perspective and widen their game.

It has patently not worked, not yet but the reasons were justifiable to turn England from a side who would win the Five Nations more often than not into one who would beat the rest of the world more often than not. In this context, as Rowell has exasperatedly noted the World Cup quarter final defeat of Australia was ascribed to over achievement and the semi final defeat by New Zealand to under achievement.

Which means he like his team cannot in the end win, because when England do win there is bound to be something wrong with the way it is accomplished and when they do not there is simply something wrong. Forget it, Jack Paris may be beautiful even in the wintertime, but the Parc is a bear pit and any win here is its own justification.

How England set about it will be a fascination after the post Samoa recriminations.

When Rowell said he wanted England to revert to basics, he emphatically did not mean the former forward obsession which dragged them to their 1991 Grand Slam and the '91 World Cup final.

But he did mean sensible rugby in which the basic things are done efficiently.

A solid scrummage and productive line out are prerequisites of a fluid game just as much of the alternative grunt and grind, and when England have the ball it is pointless for them to imagine they can do what they like with it wherever they like.

Today Carling and co begin a championship in Paris for the first time since they last lost here in 1988.

France are fielding a back division of such exceptional class and promise, with not a qualm about the presence of two 20 year olds in the centre opposite Carling and Jeremy Guscott, but England dare not perpetrate such indiscretions anywhere on the field let alone in their own halt. You might call it back to basics.