One of the favourite causes célèbres of the national press in the last few weeks has been the issue of where the England team should play in the build up to, during and after the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

No-one is seriously suggesting anywhere other than Twickenham as the spiritual flowerbed of the Red Rose but there have been calls from commentators to give the grassroots sport in the north a spot of fertiliser and lawn food.

The request is that the RFU Roadshow reaches out to the provinces with more than the customary crusty administrator, by taking the England team up-country to play the odd or even regular internationals outside London.

The idea is that the England side, maybe a remodelled one after the awful experience in New Zealand, would be a massive advertisement for the game in an area where rugby union is not first, second nor sometimes even third choice for the paying sporting customer.

Sale Sharks chief executive Mick Hogan summed up the case succinctly when he told The Rugby Paper: “The England brand is the most powerful in the country and if you can bring that product up here it would have a huge knock-on effect in terms of generating the next generation of players, supporters, investors and sponsors.”

It is difficult not to support those sentiments but I would go further than that and suggest that the West Midlands must be included in the same conversation.

And I’m not talking about just taking the Saxons back to Sixways, as attractive as that might be for some, such matches against USA or Scotland A are basically lessons to the converted.

What the sport in the region needs, arguably more than in the north where the elite level rugby already has a foothold albeit it a precarious one, is a major shot in the arm, something that is going to be a game changer.

An event like England-All Blacks, with the World Cup winners, their haka and dazzling skills that will send first-time spectators scuttling away from Villa Park to the nearest rugby club wanting to be Dan Carter.

A match that will send teachers high-tailing it back to schools with plans for a touch tournament, something that will compel supporters to go to the nearest Championship or National League ground.