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If there’s one thing I’ve learned since I got involved in the hospitality business, it’s that preparation is all. You’ve got to do your homework to make sure that everything runs smoothly.

For sporting events, clients want you to do more than lay on tickets. If they’re not local, they want you to act as their guide to a strange, new environment. So, I’ve been taking the strain ahead of Saturday’s big kick-off. Well, kind of…

A couple of weeks ago, I headed off with my laptop to a wonderful coffee and cake shop in the centre of Lens to soak up the atmosphere in the town which will stage England’s opening match in the World Cup. 

The cafe was well worth a visit and absolutely knocks spots off Starbucks. The food was not only first-class but gave you a sense of what Lens is all about. It’s got real character, more so than parts of Paris which are better known but have less heart. 

Lens is really small and quite working class. All its history seems to revolve around the coal mines which still dominate the landscape and mentality. If you’ve never been there before, let me give you an idea of what I mean.  

The stadium where England will take on the USA this weekend is named after the guy who was commercial director of the local mine. Even in the coffee shops, you can’t escape coal. I ate a chocolate made with a plant which is grown on the slag heaps just outside of town! All in the name of research, you understand! 

There I was with chocolate all over my face in a town which was a sea of blood and orange– long before beered-up rugby fans arrived. They’re the colours of the local football team, Racing Club Lens, in whose Felix Bollaert Stadium England start their Rugby World Cup campaign. Let’s hope Lens’ early form isn’t a bad omen. They’re next to bottom of the First Division having played five games and lost three!

If you read some of the English press, of course, you’d believe the omens are not too good for England anyway. My old team-mate, Lawrence Dallaglio, is apparently saying that we’ve not prepared properly while Andy Robinson, who’s not necessarily the best judge of form, is predicting that we’ll only make the semis. 

I’ve always thought that preparation is key but luck also plays a big part in tournament and no-one really knows what’s going to happen. A fumbled pass, a drop goal or an injury can quickly change the outcome of matches. 

I suppose, however, that losing on Saturday wouldn’t bode well for our chances. We need to finish above South Africa in the group (a tough task in itself!) to avoid Australia in the quarters. 

Mind you, if England do get turned over, fans can learn from my favourite experience of Lens. I took a 10-minute walk from the coffee shop down the Boulevard Emile Basly and the Avenue Alfred Maes, hung a left onto the Route d’Arras and through the doors of the Brasserie Saint-Germain to try some of its fantastic beers. All in the name of research, you understand! 

Allez les blancs!!