With England's players putting their reputations on the line in tonight's Six Nations finale with Ireland, Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson has talked to one player who has grown accustomed to treating every game as if it was his last.

WITH coach Andy Robinson having cut a swathe through the side that lost to France last weekend, there is an assumption that England's players are playing for their places in this evening's Six Nations finale with Ireland.

The likes of Ben Cohen, Lewis Moody and Martin Corry might boast World Cup winners medals, but one wrong move tonight could still see some of England's biggest names consigned to a scrapheap that is growing by the week. International rugby can be an unforgiving environment.

Newcastle Falcons centre Jamie Noon is one of the players who finds himself under the microscope at Twickenham, with England's chronic lack of creativity being cited as a major factor in their struggles in the tournament so far.

Another poor performance - and the 26-year-old is honest enough to describe his display in Paris as "seriously below par" - and this evening's international appearance could prove to be his last.

The weight of expectation is intense but, for Noon, the looming threat of the axe is nothing new. For a player Sir Clive Woodward always deemed of insufficient quality to make Test level, every game in an England shirt has represented a battle for recognition. Tonight's 17th international cap will be no more fraught than any of its predecessors.

"Last year, I got into the squad for the opening game of the championship against Wales and my number one priority was to stay there," said Noon, who made his England debut on 2001's tour of North America. "That priority didn't change.

"It's not that I didn't feel like I belonged there - I did - but it was a massive leap for me and I guess I always felt like I was on display or on trial.

"I thought I improved game on game, but I didn't ever feel confident enough to look beyond the next squad and the next match. My biggest success was always getting named in the team for the next game.

"I suppose that's really still the case, although I think this season has been a little different. I wasn't sure I was going to be involved at all over the winter, so that call-up to the first squad was an important one.

"Since then, I've started to feel a bit more comfortable about my role in the squad. I think I've grown into the side and my overall attitude is slightly different.

"Confidence is a circular thing. You feel more confident so you're worth your place in the side - you stay in the side and that in turn makes you more confident."

Self-doubt is hardly a sentiment associated with top-level sportsmen but, no matter how well they are protected, international rugby players do not exist in a bubble.

Outside pressures are apparent, whether that be the urgings of a partisan Twickenham crowd, the expectations of a wider rugby world or the demands of an increasingly voracious media.

By turning professional, rugby union has exposed itself to the forces of the market. For someone like Noon, who would normally be shunning the spotlight and keeping himself very much to himself, those forces are often more challenging than the combined weight of a ferocious Irish pack.

"There's no doubt that the top level of rugby has changed," said the centre. "In terms of the volume and style of the coverage, it's getting more and more like football.

"Without wanting to belittle how badly we played last weekend, there seems to be more of a knee-jerk reaction to whatever is going on. One week we're going to win the World Cup - the next we're the worst England side in history.

"At first, I found that difficult to deal with. It's a different reaction to anything you're used to, but I guess it goes hand in hand with the professional game.

"It's important you at least try to put that to one side. You can read what other people are saying about your game until you're blue in the face but, ultimately, it's up to you to decide where you're going right or wrong.

"At this level of the game, it's impossible to escape criticism. But it is possible to shield yourself from it and treat it objectively and that's something I'm gradually coming to terms with."

Perhaps that gradual adaptation explains why Noon has continued to confound the critics who predicted his stay in the England team would be brief.

Since Mathew Tait was dumped unceremoniously from the side that lost to Wales in last season's Six Nations opener, Olly Barkley, Mike Tindall and James Simpson-Daniel have all tried, and failed, to hold down a place in the centre.

Noon, though, has missed only the autumn international win over Samoa. Today, Wasps' Stuart Abbott will become his fourth partner as Robinson desperately tries to find a combination that can take England to next year's World Cup. Despite his trials and tribulations, it would be a brave man to bet against Noon being a part of it.

The former Northumbria University student might lack the natural flair of a Simpson-Daniel or a Tait, but there are few braver or more committed players in the English game.

This season's performances for Newcastle have proved as much, with Noon readily embracing the extra responsibility heaped upon him following his emergence onto the international scene.

"Playing regularly for Newcastle has obviously helped," he admitted. "I don't like to think of myself as a senior player yet but, with all of the young lads coming through, I suppose that's really what I am.

"I have a responsibility up there and that's important to me. Rob Andrew often talks about his internationals coming to the fore and I know I have to put myself in that bracket.

"As a player, that sort of responsibility tests you. I feel I've been progressing as a player this season and I think part of that is knowing there are people relying on you to produce the goods.

"I could still maybe be a little bit more clinical in certain aspects of my play, but I'm more comfortable with where I'm at in terms of my ability.

"I know I have the ability to do myself justice for both Newcastle and England and that's important. It's the key to settling yourself down.

"When you're playing for England, you're standing alongside some of the best players in the world. If you don't feel like you belong there, you're going to let yourself down. You have to be confident and know that you're capable of doing everything that's going to be asked of you."

This evening, that will include stopping an Ireland side who are chasing their second Triple Crown in the last three years.

For England, the target is somewhat more prosaic. While the Six Nations title is not entirely out of the question - the hosts would be crowned champions if they beat Ireland by at least seven points and Wales thrashed France by around 30 - the more realistic aim is to restore some pride to an English game still struggling to come to terms with the aftermath of World Cup success.

If tonight's starting XV are able to do that, their places for the start of next season should be assured.

For Noon, though, the doubting will almost inevitably go on.