TOTTENHAM famously blamed a dodgy lasagne for a bout of sickness that scuppered their Champions League qualification hopes in 2006 so expect Spurs fanatic Sam Warburton to act swiftly if he sees his hookers about to tuck in to the pasta dish over the coming weeks.

Wales can afford no passengers in their World Cup squad – all 31 will be needed given the fierceness of their pool with hosts England, bogey team Australia and dangerous Fiji.

But head coach Warren Gatland has ensured he will be wracked by extra tension after plumping for just two specialist hookers, just like the Wallabies.

He will be looking over at Ken Owens and Scott Baldwin in every contact session in training, concerned by every bump, while a sneeze or sniffle will prompt worried glances.

It’s high risk, high reward and is a decision that could perhaps be traced back to New Zealand 2011 when Owens was used just once as a replacement against Namibia.

The jettisoned Richard Hibbard and Kristian Dacey could be in camp within the hour if needed but the two-hooker decision leads to unnecessary anxiety.

And it could prove to be a needless risk if fifth lock Dom Day, who profited from knocks carried by Alun Wyn Jones and Luke Charteris, is just needed for the Uruguay opener.

IT’S unlikely that any of the 20 coaches preparing for the Rugby World Cup are following the blueprints of Brian Ashton or Marc Lievremont.

Both coaches ‘lost the dressing room’ yet England in 2007 were left cursing the decision not to award a Mark Cueto try in the final while four years later the French were harshly treated by the officials as hosts New Zealand lifted the trophy.

Things rarely go to plan so for all the talk about perfect preparations, excellent training camps, encouraging friendly results and settled squads perhaps the team that embraces the chaos will be 80 minutes from glory at Twickenham on Saturday, October 31.

There are seven genuine World Cup contenders and the one that deals with the script being changed will triumph.