England breathe a sigh of relief at World Cup 2014 qualifying draw | Paul Wilson

England manager Fabio Capello talks to the media after the preliminary draw of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Photograph: Julian Finney - Fifa/FIFA via Getty Images

England, second last to be drawn, landed among familiar foes in a far from unfriendly World Cup 2014 qualifying group, narrowly avoiding the fate of being placed in a five-team group with France, which fell in turn to World Cup holders and current European champions Spain.

The draw in Rio de Janeiro was made in reverse order, with the top seeds allocated to their groups last, and England and Spain were the final two balls to be pulled out. England came out next to last, to be grouped with Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and San Marino, while to Spain fell the decidedly trickier task of negotiating a group comprising France, Belarus, Georgia and Finland.

While both Group H and Group I ought to be winnable for their respective top seeds, there is no doubt England will have been relieved to have avoided the final group.

Montenegro drew at Wembley in a Euro 2012 qualifier last October, and England face a return in Podgorica this autumn to determine which side qualifies automatically from Group G for next year's finals in Poland and Ukraine. Both of those host countries managed to end up in the same World Cup group before England joined them, and Fabio Capello's side encountered Ukraine in the last World Cup qualifying cycle, with Andriy Shevchenko's side successful in the most recent encounter, albeit after England had qualified. Poland have also crossed England's path on a regular basis in the past, though are not the force they once were in European football.

The other two opponents in the group will also be recalled with affection. Moldova was where Glenn Hoddle took charge for the first time in 1996 and where David Beckham made his competitive England debut, while San Marino will forever be remembered for the low comedy of England's visit with Graham Taylor in Bologna in 1993, complete with "Do I not like that" and "What sort of a thing is happening here?"

At least Capello will not have to worry about a repeat or a return to his native land. The Italian coach will depart after the European Championship next year, and a new man will be in charge by the time England embark on the qualification process for Brazil. Group H should not deter any potential candidates, far from it, though it is unlikely to set anyone's pulse racing either. Sven-Goran Eriksson suggested this weekend that Jose Mourinho would be the ideal contender to follow Capello, though it would be something of a surprise were the Portuguese to tear himself from the excitement of managing Real Madrid and trying to become the first coach in history to win European Cups with three different sides for a leisurely trek round the Balkans and central Europe.

Elsewhere in the draw, Scotland and Wales were drawn together in Group A, which is neither particularly glamorous nor particularly easy, with Croatia, Serbia and Belgium fighting (hopefully not literally) for the top spots and even the makeweights of Macedonia no pushovers. Northern Ireland face some long trips in Group F, with not only Russia but also Azerbaijan and Israel, with Portugal and Luxembourg at least a little closer to home. The Republic of Ireland avoided France, to everyone's relief, though drew Germany and Sweden, along with Austria, Kazakhstan and the Faroe Islands in Group C. That is quite a tough group, though with Germany clear favourites to win the Republic have at least a chance of clinging to runners-up spot and a play-off place. The nine group winners qualify automatically, while the eight best runners-up play off to provide a European contingent of 13 for the finals.

Norway's charmed life continued with an astonishingly favourable draw in Group E, where the only real threats are Slovenia and Switzerland. Considered lucky to be seeded in the first place, especially at the expense of teams such as France and Russia, the Norwegians could easily end up qualifying for a tournament for the first time since Euro 2000. They are unlikely to be too worried by Albania, Iceland or Cyprus, and ought to be able to achieve one of the top two positions.

Greece, the other surprise seeds, also have little to complain about. They avoided the bigs guns of pot two, drawing Slovakia instead of France, Russia or Turkey, and should be able to progress from a group that also includes Bosnia?Herzegovina, Lithuania, Lativia and Liechtenstein.

That's how it appears from this distance, at any rate. By the time these qualifying matches begin to take place, just over a year from now, a European Championship will have been concluded and much will have changed. When the last draw was made, for the Euro 2012 qualifiers currently taking place, everyone said England had dropped lucky with an easy group.

That was before not just Montenegro but Switzerland came to Wembley and escaped with a point. England are still joint top of the group, on goal difference from Montenegro, but the game in Podgorica this October now looms even larger than before. If England win, they will qualify and the future will look secure. Lose, and the next England manager will know he has to negotiate the same opponents. It was exactly the situation that greeted Capello when he took over from Steve McClaren and then faced Croatia. He dealt with it remarkably well, and if he can do the same in Montenegro all should be well. Should he fail, the main problem for the next man will be taking over a team whose nemesis is no longer Germany, or even Croatia, but a team that have yet to make their first appearance in a World Cup tournament.

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Europe's bodies beautiful face World Cup tempering in friendly fires | Eddie Butler

England's Jonny Wilkinson is among the European players in great shape before facing the perils of an intensive buildup to the World Cup. Photograph: Tom Hevezi/AP

At the risk of igniting a firestorm of career-threatening injuries, the rugby players of Europe have never been in better shape. While the southern hemisphere countries hurl themselves into the Tri-Nations – or in South Africa's case, limp up to Rustenburg for secret conditioning – the hard graft of our summer has finished. The heavy weights have been lowered and stories of recovery outweigh tales of woe.

For every Hugo Southwell who has to be declared out of World Cup contention, there is a Stephen Ferris back in the Irish reckoning, or a William Servat starting to rediscover his aim into the French lineout after surgery to his left knee. Every nation bristle with rude health. Gavin Henson has passed every test at -140C in Poland. Maxime Mermoz, perennially unavailable, is just one of so many French players running around and leaving his coach, Marc Lievremont, in the wonderful position of not really knowing what his best starting lineup is. Mauro Bergmasco, who last appeared for Italy in the Six Nations of 2010, is back. Goodness, even Jonny Wilkinson is fit.

It is only a fleeting moment in the World Cup cycle. Admiring a full stable of bodies beautiful is one thing; having them ready for the rigours of New Zealand in just over a month is another. And so it is that Europe's finest are about to enter the danger zone, the August of friendlies that will clarify a few selections for Lievremont and leave a few star names on the same list as Southwell. This is going to be a cruel month of ins and outs.

"Friendlies" is a strange word. Wales play England twice, home and away before full houses. It is not a fixture that bears friendliness easily. Common sense should prevail, but rugby was not invented with rational behaviour in mind. Danny Care, one of England's scrum-halves, said the games were going to be "huge and a real battle", which hardly introduces an element of caution.

Courtney Lawes going off on a stretcher in the England trial only underlined the perils ahead. The England manager, Martin Johnson, was quick to stress that his second row should be available for the huge and real battles ahead, but it was not clear whether Lawes could nod in agreement, what with his neck being in a brace.

The only way to alleviate the tensions of history is to shuffle the packs vigorously. I think we should be prepared for rolling substitutions that create a breeze strong enough to clear any red mists. Striking the balance between match readiness and soreness is going to be a delicate business and a greater test of the coaching craft than the World Cup itself.

Declan Kidney, armed with an extension to his contract, has opted for a full calendar of four friendlies: against Scotland, France twice, and England. This is presumably to avoid the sluggishness that afflicted Ireland at the 2007 World Cup. Any parallels with the last tournament are to be avoided, although it has not escaped anyone's notice that Eddie O'Sullivan was similarly given a new deal before the Irish flop of four years ago.

Still, Ireland remain the form team of Europe. If Lievremont is scratching his head over his bountiful options, imagine the agony of having to fit David Wallace, Jamie Heaslip, Sean O'Brien and Ferris into three positions. It may require all four games for Kidney to make his choice. It will also be interesting to see if Felix Jones, the Munster full-back, is revealed in August. He is one to watch.

England have settled on three games, but threw in the trial for good measure. Dave Strettle, who limped off, may not be a fan of this throwback to the old days of the internal test to see who may face the outside world.

Wales, fresh from building a full-contact session at 5.15am into their Polish schedule, have also gone for three matches. Scotland are playing two. Perhaps they are mindful that summertime Murrayfield does not offer the same commercial rewards as stadiums elsewhere. The lack of international games in November is a factor in the scheduling of all these warmups, the treasurer never far from the planning process.

The temptation is to look beyond the trials of August to the reality of September, but the World Cup will be seriously tempered by what happens in the next few weeks. Might there be an inclination to be a little more expansive in August? Hard grounds and all that.

Stretching the lungs is obviously a priority, as important as giving nothing away as to each country's real intentions. To anticipate an extravagant style in the knockout stages of the real thing may be fanciful. Error-free durability will reign in October, but we may see a little more frivolity in our high summer.

With that approach comes the most extreme warning, however. It is one of the eternal truths of the game that anyone who tries to tread lightly through friendlies is bound to be undone as a team, injured as an individual. So, we should simply admire the players as they roll up their sleeves and set about their jobs a month earlier than usual and cross our fingers that the casualty rate does not make a mess of this snapshot of a sport in blooming condition.

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Five British swimmers to watch at the World Championships

Jemma Lowe could be one of five British prospects to flourish at the World Championships. Photograph: Clive Rose/Getty Images

Lowe won her first major individual long course medal last year at the Commonwealth Games when she took silver in the 100m butterfly – her preferred event "because it's shorter!" – and this year is ranked third in the world in the 200m fly after swimming personal bests at the British championships earlier in the season. Lowe beat Fran Halsall in the 100m fly at the National Championships this year, her rival heaping on the praise. "You can only expect great things when people are swimming that well," said Halsall. Lowe has since moved to Swansea to work under Bud McAllister who also coaches another bright British prospect, Jazmin Carlin. Lowe will face an impressive Chinese pair at the World Championships in world rankings leaders Zige Liu and Liuyang Jiao.

Fran Halsall took two golds, two silvers and a bronze medal at the European Championships in 2010 Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty Images for British Gas

Although in Shanghai Halsall will compete in just two events, the Southport-born swimmer is best known for winning five individual medals in one championships – a British record – when she took two golds, two silvers and a bronze medal at the European Championships in 2010. She went on to survive a severe bout of Delhi belly at the Commonwealth Games last year – famously all colour drained from her face and she looked as though she was about to pass out when interviewed by Sharron Davies for the BBC – but she somehow repeated the five-medal feat and returned home triumphant. Widely tipped as the next Rebecca Adlington, she is currently ranked second in the world in the 100m freestyle – having lost her No1 ranking by just one 100th of a second to Femke Heemskerk of the Netherlands last month – she is also 9th in the world in the 50m freestyle. Halsall faces competition from Heemskerk who has won Olympic and world titles in the 4x100m freestyle relay but has so far struggled to win an individual title, but equally from the Australian Alicia Coutts who took three gold medals at the Commonwealth Games last year. Halsall is currently studying for an A-level in philosophy; her boyfriend, Alastair Wilson, plays hockey for the men's Great Britain team.

James Goddard is ranked third in the world in the 200m IM. Photograph: Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Born in the Seychelles, Goddard moved to Stockport aged five and began swimming at his local club. Having finished fourth in the 200m backstroke at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, Goddard appeared full of promise. But frustrating results over the next few years – finishing sixth at the Beijing Olympics and sixth at the 2009 World Championships, both results in the 200m IM – dogged his progress until, finally, he broke through again last year to win two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in the 200m IM and 200m backstroke. An eight-year gap between his first Commonwealth medal in 2002, and his most recent in 2010, tells its own story. Ranked third in the world in the 200m IM, he will need to fight Michael Phelps for the world title, as well as Thiago Pereira of Brazil. He is ranked sixth in the world in the 200m backstroke. The World Championships aside, he is desperate to produce a final flourish at the Olympics next year. "I want an Olympic medal in London," says Goddard. "I have finished fourth and sixth in Olympics so far."

Hannah Miley just missed out on a medal at the last World Championships in Rome in 2009 when she finished fourth. Photograph: Clive Rose/Getty Images

Sporting success has long been in the Miley family. Patrick Miley, Hannah's father and coach (as well as helicopter pilot) swam for the army during his youth as well as competing in triathlons, while Miley's aunt was a world champion in Irish dance. Hannah, who is based in Aberdeen, says she would have been a Highland dancer had swimming not taken her life by storm. Ranked third in the world in the 400m IM – an event in which she won both the Commonwealth and short-course European titles last year – Miley just missed out on a medal at the last World Championships in Rome in 2009 when she finished fourth. This year she has continued her run of form, beating Kirsty Coventry – an Olympic silver medallist in both of Miley's preferred events – in Monaco last month. Her main competitors in the 400m IM in Shanghai will be Spain's Mireia Belmonte and Li Xuanxu of China.

Lizzie Simmonds' best achievements have been finishing fifth at the World Championships in 2009 and sixth at the Olympics aged 17. Photograph: Paul Thomas/Action Images

Yet to win a major individual medal, Simmonds' best achievements have been finishing fifth at the World Championships in 2009 and sixth at the Olympics aged 17. The Loughborough-based swimmer has a European 4x100m medley gold medal to her name having swum in the heats, but is keen to move her individual career on to the next level. Simmonds is ranked third in the world in the 200m backstroke, and sixth in the 100m, quite an achievement considering her better known team-mate – the 100m defending world champion and world record holder Gemma Spofforth – is 18th. Her major rival in Shanghai will be the defending champion and multi-gold medal winner Kirsty Coventry, but Belinda Hocking of Australia who currently leads the world rankings will also provide a strong challenge.

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New Zealand incensed over England's black shirts for World Cup

The New Zealand rugby team have been known as the All Blacks since 1905. Photograph: Clive Rose/Getty Images

The prime minister of New Zealand, John Key, has described England as "a bunch of wannabes" after they announced they would play at least one game in an all-black strip during the rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

England's decision has incensed New Zealand rugby fans who see it as a deliberate attempt to mimic the all-black strip worn by their national teams since 1874. The New Zealand rugby team have been known as the All Blacks since 1905.

The Rugby Football Union said England will abandon their traditional white shirts for the pool meeting with Argentina on 10 September, adding that their New Zealand counterparts had confirmed they have no problem with the switch.

But Key led a chorus of protests, saying: "There's only one team that wears black with pride and that's the All Blacks." Michael Jones, the World Cup-winning All Black flanker, described England's move as "psychological warfare".

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