England's players should instead embrace this weekFind your Rugby World Cup champions.

If I could give one bit of advice to England’s players this week it would be to jot down their thoughts, their feelings. I am being serious. What they get up to, who says what, who hangs around with who.

They will think I am an old duffer even for saying it. But honestly, I mean it. I would pay a fortune to remember more details about 2003. I would be fascinated to know, 16 years on, all the small details that have slipped into the dark recesses of my brain. The routines, the meals, the chat. The worries. The hopes. Unless these players reach another World Cup final in their careers, they will never have a week like it in their lives again.

At the time you think you will remember it all because it is so fresh. You think you will be 24 forever. You will not. So like Marilyn Monroe said: “Think in ink.” Scribble it down. Not for public consumption, just for yourself. You will want that record. Trust me.

Once the World Cup is over, once the celebrations/commiserations die down, it will be back to the usual grind, the Premiership, the Champions Cup. This week is so special. Cherish it.

I do not know how England are going to play things. I can only speak from my own experience. But it is a safe bet to say the players would have enjoyed a well-earned day off on Sunday. In 2003, we were the second semi-final so we did not have a lay day, but I imagine they would have had a beer or three after the game on Saturday night with friends and family.

They would have put their feet up on Sunday, strolled into town, grabbed a coffee. Some of them would have watched the Wales-South Africa match. Others might have gone out for a meal. Each to their own. Personally, I would watch a snail’s race if it was on – but then I’m an anorak.

The players would have turned on their phones on Sunday and seen all the congratulatory messages pouring in; the tweets, the likes. Then they would have turned them off again. Social media is a major change from my day.

Some of the players enjoy it. Some stay away – completely. Some feel a responsibility to feed the machine. But do not become owned by the machine.

I do not feel there is any danger of that. England are in a good place. You could tell from their body language, their muted celebrations after the game. It was a bit like coming out of an exam where every question you prepared for comes up. You are delighted, naturally. Then you remember that you still have Further Maths, Chemistry and Economics to come. Limited euphoria. They know the job is not finished yet.

It is about tapering now. England will not do much training this week. They might work on a set-piece move, add a bit of variety. But they will do very little actual work. In 2003, we did not do anything at all until the Thursday of our final week. We did some walk-throughs at the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles ground. But we kept it extremely light. Our experience had taught us that we had actually overtrained before the Wales game.

Eddie’s training is always short and sharp anyway. So if and when England do train it will be intense. I remember John Mitchell using the expression: “Let the dog see the rabbit.” You want them to feel a bit of excitement.

But you want to keep them on the leash. Have them ready and primed. It is almost like David Rudisha preparing for the 800-metres Olympic final. They have done the work. The miles have been put in. They almost need to think of themselves as athletic weapons.

There will be media commitments. Lots of media commitments. There will be demands from English, French, and Japanese television. Again, it is about staying relaxed. Try not to get frustrated by being asked the same question over and over. “What would it mean to win the World Cup?”

Some of the wider squad players will take up the slack but you cannot avoid it. You will have your allotted hours and it is about compartmentalising; not wasting unnecessary energy. The reality is you cannot hide under a rock. You have to embrace it.

But do not do anything different from normal. If you have lucky socks, wear them. I found my 2003 pair the other day. Orange with green dots.

We played daft games, I remember the Name Game being a favourite, and three-card brag. We had a cinema club. Myself, Steve Thompson, Lewis Moody, Ben Cohen. I can still remember how to get there. Turn right at McDonald’s in Manly, then it is on the far left side of the road. The week of the final we went to see the Coen brothers’ film Intolerable Cruelty. I think I may have fallen asleep. We went to a little Italian restaurant, down on the front. I cannot remember what I ordered but going there is as fresh in my mind as the final itself.

All these little memories, so mundane, so special. My family were out in Australia, my mum, dad, brother, sister. I did not see much of them, because I never usually saw them at games and I did not want to deviate from my normal routine.

These days, of course, players are much more used to having their families around, to taking their kids on the pitch at the end of games. They are much more aware of mental health now, with family obviously critical to that.

I spent most of my time sleeping and watching films. Everyone copes in their own way. I was a massive worrier. I genuinely considered pulling my own calf muscle to get out of the game. I was so afraid of letting the lads down.

The important thing to remember is that everyone has doubts. I just wish I had spoken out, told someone. It was only when I spoke to my team-mates later on, when I read Jonny Wilkinson’s book, that I realised everyone felt the same way. We all bottled it up. Even Johnno suffered from a few doubts on the Wednesday of the final week. Johnno! The toughest bloke I know. It’s OK to be s--- scared. It was Mandela who said: “The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

England should heed those words this week. Embrace it. Write it down.