When Martin Johnson reveals his 32-man squad for the autumn internationals tomorrow he will have made his choice from such a denuded pool of players that, in comparison, the resources available in Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard would form a menu for a feast.

Conservative estimates suggested that even before a tough programme of Guinness Premiership began this weekend, about 21 of the 64 players in the England and England Saxons squads would be unavailable for the opening match against Australia in two weeks, and many of them will play no part at all in the autumn season. Johnson will try to take it on the chin but his luck is shocking.

Yet it is vital to grasp that there is another, far deeper force at work here. There is a disturbing fault in English rugby in the way young England players are developed from the age of 16 onwards, a fault that the injury crisis has merely exacerbated to leave Johnson drastically short of cover. The talent conveyor belt is malfunctioning badly, and England are weakening their teams with a bogus philosophy — of aiming, over-optimistically, for some kind of future vision and letting the present kick them in the crotch.

When Johnson looked for reinforcements for his top squad, with seasoned experience vital to meet Australia, Argentina and New Zealand in the next few weeks, what did he find? Precious little. The natural source for replacements seems blindingly obvious — the England Saxons, the second-tier team. But just take the front row. Who was available in the Saxons propping department to take the place of the stricken battleships, Andrew Sheridan and Phil Vickery? Frankly, a bunch of tyro players who in Test terms are totally unknown. Dan Cole, Alex Corbisiero, Tom Mercey, Matt Mullan and in even the main squad, the untried David Wilson. Of those, some of whom have been injured anyway, only Mullan is a regular starter for his club. Indeed, only roughly half the Saxons squad start regularly. And this, mind you, is the England back-up team.

The Times referred last week to “the youngsters who litter the Saxons squad”. But where are England’s real reserves, the hard men who could do a job until the regulars are restored? The front rows of Australia, Argentina and New Zealand would lose no sleep about taking on young men from their clubs’ reserve teams. Of Duncan Bell, David Flatman, David Barnes, Perry Freshwater, four terminally hard and experience rocks of the front row, all respected throughout England, there is no sign.

The situation is the same for all the positions. As a stand-in for Simon Shaw, there is no place for the splendid Dean Schofield of Sale or Hugh Vyvyan of Saracens. As reinforcement for the midfield, there is no sign of Charlie Hodgson of Sale, Tom May of Toulon, or Jon Clarke of Northampton. Yes, it could be that Johnson, in emergency, calls in some of the banished experienced men tomorrow. But wait a minute, Johnson and his lieutenants set massive store by having access to players for sessions in some kind of perma-camp. Suddenly, they would be bringing in people from scratch a fortnight before the Tests begin.

The Saxons were once called England A, before that England B. In all their guises, they have been misguided and a waste. They should be England’s bona fide second string, with no relevance set against age, only against excellence and experience. Then when Johnson opens the cupboard he finds players who are ready, not a work in progress.

Over the years, I have heard the England hierarchy write off countless good England players, usually around the age of 24-28, on the grounds that they are not quite up to it for Test rugby. This gives England’s planners the excuse every year to delve into younger players, in fond hope. It is a doomed policy. It is ageist, and it ignores the fact that players can improve markedly at any age. Tony Swift, the England wing of the 1980s, was discarded by England as not up to it at the age of 23. At 33, Swift was the best attacking player in the England game.

It goes wrong early. England’s youngest team is the U16s. I speak from personal experience when I say large tracts of rugby for this age group, where fun and improvement should still be the goals, are shredded by the England system. In almost every county normal rugby is ruined, matches are called off and young men are turned off the sport. It is all in favour of a series of trials, county sessions and games with the goal of identifying 15 players (from the thousands who should be enjoying their rugby life) for the England U16 team.

Indeed, the season is set up in thrall to that bogus, premature elitism. And in passing, what if the original selection is wrong? Our local club has three young lads who may just have the range of qualities to play professional rugby. Two of them have never been chosen for any county team at any time.

But the conveyor belt is already inexorable. It clanks along to the England U18 and U20 teams, the England Sevens team, the national academies, which for a long time taught players to be cloned gym monkeys and not rugby players. Some players are fixtures at every stage of the process, part of a regal line of succession.

There is something just a little cossetted about it all, and yet it seems that none of the games they play are ends in themselves. All are subjugated to the tilt at the elusive future. No England coach in the set-up can ever sit and enjoy the match, unless it is part of the grand scheme of things. And where does the system end, after lung-bursting sessions, all the paraphernalia of elite rugby, and millions of pounds? With the England Saxons, a squad put together with enormous time, effort and expense, and in terms of international rugby, ready for what? Not much. Ready for the All Blacks? Nope.

I am not suggesting negligence, or that money is being wasted. I have great respect for a good many of the coaches involved in the system, men such as Stuart Lancaster, the Saxons coach, and Nigel Redman, who is heavily involved down the track. But the whole thing is off-track and I know from conversations with Twickenham insiders that I am very far from alone. I also know from talking to young England players that they have learned far more from, say, a season in the Guinness A league, or a season farmed out to a National One club, than they ever learned inside the English system.

How can we give our Martin some ripe fruit to use? Start way back. Abandon the England U16 team and let lads play to have fun with their mates. Make all other England teams an end in themselves. Abandon the England Saxons and make them a genuine second team, ready to play today, not just in 2015.

When Johnson deliberates this weekend, he should be comforted that in future, the pool at his disposal is based on achievement, not fond hopes and theory, and that the future has finally arrived.

In England, it has been an endless wait.

Stephen Jones' England team

England starting team versus Australia

Ben Foden (Northampton, caps 1); Matt Banahan (Bath, 2), Danny Hipkiss (Leicester, 9), Shane Geraghty (Northampton, 3), Ugo Monye (Harlequins, 6); Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon, captain, 70), Richard Wigglesworth (Sale, 5); Tim Payne (Wasps, 12), Dylan Hartley (Northampton, 11), Duncan Bell (Bath, 2), Dean Schofield (Sale, 2), Nick Kennedy (London Irish, 7), Tom Croft (Leicester, 13), Nick Easter (Harlequins, 27), Lewis Moody (Leicester, 53)

Remainder of the 32-man England squad

Backs

Mark Cueto (Sale, 31), Danny Care (Harlequins, 11), Jon Clarke (Northampton, 0), Ben Cohen (Sale, 57), Charlie Hodgson (Sale, 31), Paul Hodgson (London Irish, 3), Tom May (Toulon, 2), Paul Sackey (Wasps, 22)

Forwards

Steffon Armitage (London Irish, 3), David Barnes (Bath, 0), George Chuter (Leicester, 22), David Flatman (Bath, 8), James Haskell (Stade Francais, 19), Simon Shaw (Wasps, 52), Peter Short (Bath, 0), Hugh Vyvyan (Saracens, 1), Joe Worsley (Wasps, 72)

Stuart Barnes' England team

England starting team versus Australia

Ugo Monye (Harlequins, 6); Mark Cueto (Harlequins, 31), Danny Hipkiss (Leicester, 9), Shane Geraghty (Northampton, 3), Matt Banahan (Bath, 2); Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon, 70), Paul Hodgson (London Irish, 3); Tim Payne (Wasps, 12), Dylan Hartley (Northampton, 11), Duncan Bell (Bath, 2), Courtney Lawes (Northampton, 0), Ben Kay (Leicester, 62), Tom Croft (Leicester, 13), Nick Easter (Harlequins, captain, 27), Steffon Armitage (London Irish, 3)

Remainder of the 32-man England squad

Forwards

Steve Borthwick (Saracens 50), George Chuter (Leicester 22), Jordan Crane (Leicester, 2), Louis Deacon (Leicester, 10), Jon Golding (Newcastle, 0), Nick Kennedy (London Irish, 7), Lewis Moody (Leicester, 53), David Paice (London Irish, 2), David Wilson (Bath, 2), Joe Worsley (Wasps, 72).

Backs

Danny Care (Harlequins, 11), Ben Foden (Northampton, 1), Ryan Lamb (Gloucester, 0),Joe Simpson (Wasps, 0), David Strettle (Harlequins, 6), Mathew Tait (Sale, 31), Mike Tindall (Gloucester, 60),