Boom time, but where have all the players gone?

The country's World Cup victory has captured the imagination and hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of London on Monday, cheering Clive Woodward's heroes on a victory parade through the capital with the William Webb Ellis Trophy.

Domestically, the Zurich Premiership clubs are already reaping the benefit.

Season ticket sales were up more than 12 per cent even before the World Cup and attendances at resulting Zurich Premiership and Heineken Cup games have gone through the roof.

Another almost inevitable spin-off of the success of Martin Johnson, Jonny Wilkinson and Co will be a whole new generation of youngsters discovering and taking up rugby all good news for the long-term health of the game in this country.

Yet while the sport is basking in World Cup glory, the alarm bells about problems at local level rang loud and clear in Swindon just a few days before England made their victorious trip through the capital.

While the elite are thriving, Swindon College Old Boys' announcement of their withdrawal from the league system last week brought into focus the problem of a 'black hole' in playing numbers at local level.

The Nationwide-based side's lack of playing numbers needed to sustain their fixture list was a local reflection of the Rugby Football Union's own research which has revealed a worrying drop in participation.

An RFU study at the start of this year showed that the number of active rugby clubs in the country had fallen from 1,537 to 1,480 in just two seasons.

Many clubs now struggle to field third and fourth string teams and some are down to one side a week.

The RFU has already taken action, launching an IMPACT strategy designed to increase participation throughout the country.

And England's victory Down Under will have undoubtedly helped that cause.

But any World Cup 'bounce' in participation came too late to rescue College, whose problems started with a lack of cover in the specialist front row area, but soon spread to other positions.

"Even if the World Cup brought people back to the game, or starts them from scratch, we would not have people able to step straight in to our first team,'' said Old Boys team manager Martin Peaple.

"They would have to come along to training and we would bring them through gradually, but that takes time.

"We don't have a youth section at our club, but even those who have sometimes see their youngsters bypass the senior team to move on.''

College's decision to drop out and rejoin the league system at local level is fraught with risk.

Peaple explained: "We felt we didn't have any choice, but if you do drop down, you could lose a lot of your better players, who want to play at the higher level.

"We face starting from scratch and it could take some time to get back on our feet.''

For Wootton Bassett captain Mark Roshier, the problem can be traced back to the advent of the competitive league system in the 1990s, which almost at once made it harder for the decades-old culture of 'social rugby' to continue.

Bassett have maintained their stated aim of fielding three sides a week, as well as a thriving youth section that is already feeling the benefit from the World Cup.

But Roshier said: "If we look at our club now, we don't seem to have a lot of 25 to 30-year-old players.

"We can field a first team full of 10 players 21 or under, plus a few guys perhaps towards the end of their careers, but players from that 'middle' age group are lacking.

"I think if you go back a few years ago to when the leagues started, that's when clubs started losing players.

"Suddenly, there was more pressure and being at training every time was vital and maybe people started to drift away.

"Because we don't have the people in that age group, perhaps it means older players have to carry on a bit longer and some of the younger guys have to bide their time.''

That sort of support has been welcome at Calne RFC, where strenuous efforts have been made to rebuild a squad that had been dwindling over a number of years.

Recruitment campaigns around the town and a series of promotional events have yielded results.

Club spokesman Matt Snell said:"Rugby is going downhill at adult level in terms of recruiting people and people wanting to play.

"There has been a lot of support from the RFU for what clubs should be doing to promote themselves.

"The benefit of the World Cup will be on the youth side clubs like us are looking for 18 to 24-year-olds but we just can't seem to find them.''

He added: "I think the game has changed. It has always been a contact sport, but maybe it should be classed as an impact sport and I'm sure that has put people off.

"It's about attracting the right people and making them feel comfortable. You have to be an integral part of the community and then the community and residents will feel part of the club.''