The Gardeners' World Blog

Three weeks to the World Cup and the waiting is over for players, with the final squads announced by coaches earlier this week.

The choices of England boss Brian Ashton have made the most headlines. Four years ago Clive Woodward's squad in Australia were quickly tagged "Dad's Army" because of their age - and took great delight in ramming the name back down the throats of local scribes as they went on to lift the Webb Ellis trophy for the first time.

Ashton's squad, announced on Monday, actually has a higher average age than four years ago. Chris Rattue, of the New Zealand Herald, has been quick on the uptake here saying that if four years ago it was “Dad's Army”, England will be sending the cast of "Last of the Summer Wine" to France next month.

Challenging is probably the kindest way to describe the next 12 months for the International Olympic Committee (IOC). By this time next year, we will know whether their decision to award the 2008 Olympic Games to Beijing was a masterstroke - or hopelessly misguided.

When Jacques Rogge took on the IOC's top job some six years ago, he was well aware of the controversy surrounding that decision. But over the coming weeks and months, as Rogge's Beijing in-tray bulges, the spotlight on China's capital city will only intensify.