Tap and Go makes its earliest call yet to Leicester skipper and former England captain Martin Corry.

Martin, it’s 8.30am, how goes it?
Good thanks, just in the car so I might lose reception but just give me a ring straight back.

Thanks for the tip. Let’s talk England. This is your first autumn without an international series to prepare for, are you missing it?
No, to be honest. I’m enjoying being on the other side. Because I’m still playing with my club I’m still getting my rugby fix. I’m actually enjoying being a spectator and seeing how it’s all going to unfold. Obviously, I’d love to still be involved but you’ve got to put your hands up at some point and say ‘I’m getting old’ and other things do take priority.

Indeed they do, how’s Johnno going to do in charge?
I think he’ll do exceptionally well. I hope, in terms of the public and media, we give him time and space to develop his side. Just because Johnno was a World Cup winner doesn’t automatically make the team he’s inherited now a World Cup-winning side. I think we’re quite a long way short of that, but he’s got a long time to develop a group of players and with the EPS arrangement these are the players who know they’re going to be in the England squad for a long time. They can get that experience and also find out about Johnno and the way he wants to play the game alongside his coaches. I’m not expecting miracles first off but it’s important we judge his journey as opposed to look at one or two results.

Let’s have your predictions for the autumn internationals
Ahhh. I always find this tough. Again, we’ve got to look more on our performance than how we do in results terms. Having said that the game is about winning or losing. I never want to say we’ll win three because I don’t want to go in thinking ‘we’re going to lose this game’, but we should certainly be looking at winning three out of the four games.

Let’s have a quick look at the candidates for your old No.8 shirt. Who do you rate?
We’ve got a wealth of talent. Jordan Crane has been playing so well for us and he’s surplus to requirements for the 22 which shows you the quality there. Then you’ve got James Haskell and Nick Easter. Haskell is the one who’s been grabbing the headlines. How he develops as a player is going to be very important for England’s cause. He and Jordan are two guys who could be world class players in two or three years’ time.

Who’s the best No.8 in the World?
I like the way the South African back row operates and I think Pierre Spies is a very good player. He was ruled out of the World Cup so we didn’t get to see him much but if I was to name one player now I would go for Spies.

Tell us about life at Leicester, you seem a very happy bunch?
If you’re playing well you’re happy, if you lose it’s the worst job in the world. We’re still not where we want to be but Heyneke Meyer has a very clear vision of where he wants to take the club. As Johnno’s finding, it doesn’t happen over night. It takes a while for the coach’s ethos to be instilled. So I think we’re developing but you want to be developing while winning as well. We’ve scraped a couple of wins while the performance hasn’t quite been where we want it to be but at least we’re in the mix - near the top in the Guinness Premiership and so far so good in the Heineken Cup.

Now, there is a reason we’re ringing you at 8.30 in the morning, and that’s because you’re supporting the new Haynes Rugby Manual. What do you think of it?
Obviously they’re known for what they’ve done with motoring books so I was keen to see what kind of spin they’d put on a rugby book and I think in conjunction with the RFU they’ve done an excellent. It’s really important when you’re looking to develop the game of rugby to have a good reference book on your shelf whether you’re starting out, thinking of being a coach or if you’re a mum and your son has just started playing the game. It’s just a great thing to have to refer back to. Even if you’ve been playing the game for a while, you can look at how other people view the game. I was very impressed with the detail the book goes into.

Have you ever used a Haynes Manual to fix your own car?
I’ve got a couple and you think ‘I can deal with this’ then you open it up and you think, ‘Christ, no’. I think every bloke has one but whether they use it or not is another matter!

OK, funny questions time.
Awesome. 8.30 in the morning, I’m all over funny questions.

Who behaves most like a footballer at Leicester?
It pains me to say we’ve got a few. I’d have to go with Jordan Crane purely for his dyed hair.

Who’s the biggest wind up merchant?
Lewis Moody always likes a joke, whether he’s the butt of them or leading the way.

Has he been better or worse with all this time on his hands while he’s been injured?
Oh my God, he’s been unbearable, absolutely unbearable.

Give us an example.
We’re out training, so he’s been doing his own stuff and you’ll come in to find all your stuff taped up just because he’s bored and got ten minutes to kill. He’ll tape up all your clothes or your wallet with a ridiculous amount of tape. The tape bill must be going through the roof. He also likes putting bolts in your shoes. Just like a little kid really.

What’s the funniest put down you’ve heard on the field?
It was probably in the changing room. It was before Danny Hipkiss played his first game. All the players are going and tapping him on the shoulder saying ‘have a good game, you’re a quality player, just go out there and do your stuff’, then Austin Healey went over and sat next to him and said: ‘How are you mate, are you nervous?’ Danny said: ‘Yeah, I am actually’. Austin just got up and said ‘you should be, you’re sh*t.’
If you’ve got that happening in your own team, you don’t really need banter from the other side.

You certainly don’t. Have you been watching Austin on Strictly Come Dancing?
I’ve seen a little bit. It thankfully hasn’t made it on to my Sky Plus box, but my wife keeps telling me all about it and how well he’s doing, which is painful.

Would you fancy it?
I always believe in never say never, but that’s one thing I can say there is not a cat in hell’s chance I will be doing.

Tap and Go feels the same. Cheers Martin.
Good to speak to you mate.

The Haynes Rugby Union Manual costs £17.99 from www.haynes.co.uk