Jonny Wilkinson has spent the best part of two weeks with his right ankle in an ice bucket.

But on Saturday when Wilkinson lines up at fly-half against Samoa it is the ice in his veins which England are banking on to turn around their World Cup fortunes.

Wilkinson, recovered from the sprain he suffered in England's first training session in France and which ruled him out of matches against the United States and South Africa, will start a match for the first time alongside inside centre Olly Barkley.

It is a partnership Wilkinson is convinced can provide the composed direction and creative spark which Brian Ashton's men have lacked so far.

The dream combination? Who knows, they have played just 10 minutes together when Barkley, who has recovered from his hip problem, came on as a replacement in the second warm-up game against France.

But at least Wilkinson, whose last World Cup act was slotting over that famous drop goal which won the Webb Ellis trophy back in 2003, has a good vibe.

He said: ''Olly showed in the first game (against the USA) that he's switched on and you have now got two guys who are very much on the same wavelength.

''There is a great deal of communication benefit in two guys who are used to shouting the whole game, running meetings, bossing people around.

''It's great to be playing with Olly. Two guys, two left foots. And an understanding of when to run and when to kick.

''We've been in meetings where I'm always very quick to put my point across and often I've not had to say a thing. That's been surprising for me. We've been brought up in the same generation of rugby and we see the game very similarly.''

If England radiate the same positive thinking on Saturday as Wilkinson did at their hotel base here then there is yet hope for their ailing World Cup challenge.

He even brushed aside his latest injury lay-off with a sang-froid he would never have possessed a couple of years ago, albeit admitting that he prepared for the worst as he lay on the training field.

''I prepared myself for a fairly inevitable scan result, one that would mean my World Cup was over in the briefest of efforts,'' he said

''But I've been positive, fighting deadlines to get back involved. I'd come here desperate to have a big impact. That's where the frustration came.

''The injury itself hasn't been frustrating. I accepted it immediately. Relatively speaking it was a good scan. Yes, I would have been very different two years ago. I would have been pulling my hair out.

''The change in me is that I now accept these things happen. I've been spending the last two weeks pretty solidly with my foot in a bucket of ice but enjoying my time with the physios. For me it's not been a bad time.''

Wilkinson's skipper, Martin Corry, has declared England's record World Cup defeat against South Africa must not be a ''a terminal hammer blow'' for the struggling Webb Ellis Trophy holders.

Head coach Brian Ashton predictably reacted to the 36-0 thumping by changing more than half his starting line-up for the critical Pool A appointment.

Fly-half Wilkinson, centres Olly Barkley and Mathew Tait, wing Mark Cueto, scrum-half Andy Gomarsall, hooker George Chuter and flanker Joe Worsley have all been called up.

Josh Lewsey, meanwhile, moves from wing to full-back instead of hamstring injury victim Jason Robinson, but Mike Catt, Shaun Perry and Tom Rees also miss out, together with centre Jamie Noon, who is now home for further treatment on a knee ligament problem.

And skipper Corry has also underlined the importance of a heart-to-heart players' meeting barely 24 hours after the shambolic defeat at Stade de France.

He said: ''It was a necessary meeting. You can imagine the anger and hurt we were feeling, especially given how well we had trained all week.

''It was an open forum when people expressed their views, which is much better than a whispering campaign.

''The game against South Africa must not be a terminal hammer blow for us.

''We are totally aware that we are a team playing well below our potential. I don't think we will ever eradicate the pain of that defeat, but we have to make it a motivating factor.'