England have endured a difficult championship in 2005 and only managed their first win last weekend with a comprehensive, if workmanlike, dismantling of the Italians at Twickenham.

But that performance, as Josh Lewsey has explained, marked Englands first real step forward this year and the squad are now desperate to build on their six-try haul by retaining the Calcutta Cup.

Englands defence is the statistically the best in the championship - only three tries against in four matches - and they have now started to create chances. The management believe England might have managed another 10 tries against Italy had it been for sharper execution and that is their primary focus this weekend - not a prospect which will warm hearts north of the border following Scotlands remarkable defeat to Wales last weekend.

Scotland turned in what coach Matt Williams decribed as an unacceptable first half performance as they were shredded by an incisive Welsh attack. Scotland trailed by six tries before even managing to dig a foothold into the game.

They did, though, produce a gutsy second-half fightback - albeit a fruitless one as they already trailed 43-3 - and the architects of that response have been rewarded with starts on Saturday.

Nathan Hines will start in the second row and Leeds fly-half Gordon Ross replaces Dan Parks in the number 10 jersey.

Meanwhile, Jason White returns from injury to the blindside flank, prompting a back-row reshuffle with Ally Hogg moving to openside and Simon Taylor to number eight.

Another defeat at Twickenham would leave Scotland with just one win in two RBS 6 Nations campaigns under Williams and no doubt intensify the pressure on the Australian coach.

Meanwhile his opposite number, Englands Andy Robinson, was forced into a late change after Graham Rowntree was ruled out with a pulled thigh.

As a result, Duncan Bell was awarded his first Test start for England at tight-head with Matt Stevens, his Bath colleague, moved across the front row to the loose-head. Harlequins prop Mike Worsley was called on to the bench.

Rowntrees injury thwarted Englands hopes of fielding an unchanged side for the first time in the RBS 6 Nations championship.

Hooker Andy Titterrell and scrum-half Matt Dawson both staked impressive claims off the bench last weekend, but after watching his side take their first significant step forward, Robinson otherwise decided to stick with the status quo.

England:

I Balshaw (Leeds); M Cueto (Sale Sharks), J Noon (Newcastle), O Barkley (Bath), J Lewsey (Wasps); C Hodgson (Sale Sharks), H Ellis (Leicester); M Stevens (Bath), S Thompson (Northampton), D Bell (Bath), D Grewcock (Bath), B Kay (Leicester), J Worsley (Wasps), L Moody (Leicester), M Corry (Leicester, capt).

Replacements: A Titterrell (Sale Sharks), M Worsley (Harlequins), S Borthwick (Bath), A Hazell (Gloucester), M Dawson (Wasps), A Goode (Leicester), O Smith (Leicester).

Scotland:

C Paterson (Edinburgh); R Lamont (Glasgow), A Craig (Glasgow), H Southwell (Edinburgh), S Lamont (Glasgow), G Ross (Leeds Tykes), M Blair (Edinburgh Rugby); T Smith (Northampton Saints), G Bulloch (Glasgow, capt), G Kerr (Leeds Tykes), N Hines (Edinburgh), S Murray (Edinburgh), J White (Sale Sharks), S Taylor (Edinburgh), A Hogg (Edinburgh Rugby)

Replacements: R Russell (London Irish), B Douglas (The Borders), S Grimes (Newcastle Falcons), J Petrie (Glasgow), G Beveridge (Glasgow), D Parks (Glasgow), A Henderson (Glasgow).

On stand-by: J Dunbar (Leeds Tykes), B MacDougall (Edinburgh).