Once Mark Cueto blazed over for an early try against France last Sunday, the confidence started to flow, and we knew we could put a few points on them.
It was nothing complicated at Twickenham; we just did the simple things well. We forced plenty of turnovers, giving us a great platform to attack, we ran straight and passed the ball well.
It showed that we’re moving in the right direction as a squad, and when the backs get good ball they can tear teams apart.
But what we’re striving for is an 80-minute performance. It can be tricky to maintain your level with the game won at half-time, and maybe we fell into that trap. But it was a satisfying day.
We’re had a fairly low-key week of preparation for Scotland with it only being a six-day turnaround. There were some sore bodies in the camp on Monday, and training hasn’t been as intense as in other weeks.
The rivalry between England and the Scots is huge and we’re determined to carry on last week’s form, but Wales against Ireland is clearly the game of the weekend.
It would be a great honour for players like Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell to win the Grand Slam, and the world of rugby would no doubt take their hats off to them. But Wales are at home and will not want to give up their title without a fight - and will be out to deny Ireland the Grand Slam. It's a very difficult game to call but it should provide a cracking end to the tournament.
As for the Guinness Premiership – missing out on a play-off place with Harlequins last year was without doubt the biggest disappointment of my career – and we’re all determined to avoid a similar fate this season.
Sale Sharks visit the Twickenham Stoop on Saturday with both teams gunning for the top four. I must say I think we are better placed this year. We’re more experienced and we know what it’s going to take to get into the play-offs.
I wish I'd had a bet on with Mark Cueto before Liverpool thrashed United at Old Trafford last week, but we had plenty of banter about it. When Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard play like that they are difficult to stop - I just can't believe we've got Chelsea in the Champions League again!
Cheers,
DC
