The best scrum-half in Europe on current estimates.1 Trevor Woodman (Gloucester and English): A new kid on the Kingsholm block, but putting his powder-puff clubmates to shame.2 Federico Mendez (Northampton and Argentina): Hated Bath, loves Franklins Gardens. The Irish are mad not to pick him.10 Steve Bachop (London Irish and New Zealand): Monster talent. Nothing false or cosmetic, apart from his day-glo hair.12 Brendan Venter (London Irish and South Africa): The complete inside centre: completely committed, completely professional.11 Niall Woods (London Irish and Ireland): Great finishing, terrific goal-kicking. A buccaneering full-back to die for.14 Justin Bishop (London Irish and Ireland): Quicker than most, more confident than any and bristling with aggression.13 Rob Henderson (Wasps and Ireland): A tank on legs.

So what? At least you have the choice.CHRIS HEWETT'S PREMIERSHIP XV15 Conor O'Shea (London Irish and Ireland): Gavin Hastings on speed. Rather, the melting pot is bubbling away to the benefit of most, if not all.You may not agree with the Premiership XV published here: you might prefer Keith Wood to Federico Mendez, Kevin Putt to Bracken, Zinzan Brooke to Pat Lam, Stransky to Stephen Bachop. As for Ireland, no fewer than 11 of the side who pushed France to within a point in Dublin a week ago are either playing their rugby in the English Premiership or did so in the previous 12 months.So, in answer to an earlier question, we have not reached meltdown point. It will not be long before the Scots field a side with barely a real Scot in it: you will wait a very long time for an "och aye" from Glenn Metcalfe, Shaun Longstaff, John Leslie, Matthew Proudfoot, Martin Leslie or Gordon Simpson. Ask young David Flatman, one of the brightest front-row prospects to emerge in many years (and a pure- bred Englishman from Kent, to boot) what it means to learn the tricks of the trade from Roberto Grau, and he will answer you in a single word: "Everything."And it is not just in England that the mood is changing; the ultra-conservative Celts are suddenly very right-on when it comes to recruitment. Others, like Trevor Leota, took a little time to settle, but is now doing a tremendous job."Ask Bracken, for instance, to put a price on the experience of playing between Pienaar and Michael Lynagh for a season and he will quote you the rugby equivalent of seven figures.

"Premiership players all believe the foreign signings have had a big impact on the professional game over here. The way I see it, an overseas player has to make his mark both on the field and in how he integrates into the club and community."Francois Pienaar had clearly done this. Only differences of opinion.The import problem, if indeed it is a problem, is merely one of the more pressing in an entire catalogue of dilemmas. Joost van der Westhuizen, Gary Teichmann, Josh Kronfeld, Ian Jones and dear old Jonah Lomu have all been linked with moves to England after the World Cup. If Van der Westhuizen goes to Saracens and Teichmann to Wasps, what happens to Kyran Bracken and Lawrence Dallaglio? Will they stay, or will they go?On the other hand, virtually every England Test regular revels in the heady cultural and tactical mix that gives the Premiership its uniqueness."Negative comments about overseas players come from outside the game," says Jeremy Guscott in this month's Rugby World magazine. There are, he now realises, no simple answers or cosy solutions. You don't see outsiders playing Super 12 rugby, do you?"No one knows better than Woodward how the purple-faced traditionalists are likely to react if he rejects Little Englandism and clambers into bed with the open door brigade; after all, it was only a year or so ago that the coach himself was banging the nationalist drum like Buddy Rich on steroids.But 18 long months in the political crossfire have changed him.