Disciplined, ruthless and talented

After the near misses of the last two seasons, there is a steeliness running through them now and the message is clear: 'Nobody is going to stop us this time.'

Three of the four remaining matches are at Twickenham and while Ireland in Dublin are always difficult, I don't see anyone beating Clive Woodward's team.

We had the same sort of steel-reinforcement in the 1991 World Cup Final team but this lot are more talented. The athleticism of their forwards, allied to the skill and pace of their backs, enables them to play a very different type of game.

This performance was as good as any I have seen from an England side outside Twickenham, one of high pace played with real composure and an incredibly high level of control. Never at any stage, even after it had been won, did they allow any recklessness to creep in.

Amid all the movement, there were some wonderful pieces of skill: Jonny Wilkinson's left-hand inside pass for Will Greenwood's first try and Mike Catt's long pass which allowed Iain Balshaw to take on two defenders and offload for Greenwood to score the second.

The handling was of the highest order, the collective sleight of hand ensuring that the ball went out wide like lightning before Wales had time to blink. Catt's quick scissors with Greenwood and the rapid delivery to send Matt Dawson sniping away for his second try was a classic example.

Balshaw's pace clearly worried Wales and every time the ball flew around they were in real trouble.

England hit them so often and from so many different places that, at one stage, Wales simply didn't know what was coming next.

They were going backwards and sideways when Ben Cohen eased his way between their two props and shot away for the sixth try.

There is no question that Wilkinson is head and shoulders above every other fly half in the championship. In the six months since his exceptional performance during the win over the Springboks in Bloemfontein, his game has come on so much. Now he has all the skills and is able to use them with such confidence.

People ask about his pace, but he has enough of it and he has always had the strength to offload in the tackle, which allows him to dictate the point of attack. He can play the passing game short or long, kicks with both feet and I'm very glad that we at Newcastle don't have to worry about playing against him.

The only department of the English game which was less than clinical was the scrummaging, where I thought they would have been more dominant. Wales had a lot of the ball but they were never able to generate any forward momentum or seriously threaten a team which prides itself on a defence organised by Phil Larder.

Where England scored was in the speed with which they got to the breakdown and the speed with which they then released the ball so that the Welsh defence was never able to regroup. Another two or three English tries would not have been unjust. Perhaps they subconsciously took their foot off the pedal towards the end.

In the face of such a whirlwind, Wales deserve some sympathy, which may sound a bit odd coming from an Englishman who has suffered his share of grief at their hands over the years. Clearly their performance left a lot to be desired but it was far from catastrophic.

Their set-piece work was solid enough and it was their misfortune to catch England on a very good day.

Coach Graham Henry has spoken about the over-emphasis which the Welsh place on the England match. Of course, it matters massively but I am now coming to the conclusion that the obsession with winning this fixture is counter-productive.

It means that Wales are either on a huge up or a huge down, and their over-reaction tends to mask the fact that they have four more matches to play.

They really have to devise a better way of handling it. After a period of national mourning, will they be able to lift themselves to beat Scotland next time out?