The best thing about it was everyone, from the management to the players, understood that the improvement made by England was small but significant.

England have got better with each game, but they're not getting carried away; they're not talking about Grand Slams or even about winning the championship.

We knew Italy were going to be a very tough nut to crack, that their forwards would be competitive and that their backs, especially Ramiro Pez, would be a handful.

And it proved to be a close game. We said straight away that after 60 minutes, hopefully the scores would come - and that's exactly what happened.

For a second game we saw Andy Robinson use his bench, which was a good thing - if you have the experience of people like Matt Dawson, Lawrence Dallaglio and Simon Shaw, you have to use it.

In the first half, Charlie Hodgson was, like England overall, a bit hit-and-miss, but in the second half he absolutely ruled the game. He pulled the strings, directed the game and put people in the right place at the right time.

I was really happy to see Mike Tindall come back after the criticism he has received. He put in a performance that warranted his selection: he's a solid, strong defensive player, but you also saw what he could create with his try and all-round game.

Mark Cueto continued his fantastic reputation as a try-scoring machine. Wherever the try-line is, he's close to it, and England have been searching for a player like that for years.

Italy, along with Scotland, feel they've got half a chance of getting a couple of scalps this season. Scotland proved last week against France that if anyone shows any complacency in the RBS 6 Nations championship, they will be punished.

Scotland relish being the underdogs, especially in Calcutta Cup games. No-one expects them to beat England, which will fire them up, though their confidence will be dented by the Wales defeat.

I'm looking forward to what will be a great game.