It's not all gloom for England

The fact that England are winless will put a wry smile on the faces of the other championship nations, but there were signs in Dublin that head coach Andy Robinson is getting his players to perform in the way that made England so successful a couple of years ago.

We saw driving forward play - particularly in that second half of the 19-13 loss to Ireland - which sucked in the opposition defence.

We then had opportunities to move the ball wide or kick into space and it really did hark back to the days of Sir Clive Woodward, who always preached that you ran into space not the opposition.

The match did leave me feeling upbeat because England competed well against an Ireland team that I expect to win the Grand Slam.

Watching the Irish find a way of winning when not playing at their best reminded me of the England team that went on to win the World Cup.

At times, you have no option but to win "ugly", digging out a result by using your experience and self-belief.

That is why I would back Ireland to beat the resurgent Welsh side in Cardiff on the final Saturday of the championship.

Wales have been producing excellent rugby, but the Irish will have that allimportant experience which counts for so much in really big games.

England used to have that edge, but it went with the calibre of players who either retired or have been injured. No country could have coped under those circumstances. In the previous two defeats, England had looked devoid of a pattern of play and lacking in leadership. That isn't having a go at Jason Robinson, the captain, because I am talking about other key players putting their hands up - and that happened all over the team in Dublin.

I thought Charlie Hodgson's successful penalty kick from the halfway line spoke volumes about his ability to take criticism and come back stronger.

You could see the rest of the team visibly lifted by that kick and they responded with a much better performance.

Leicester forward Martin Corry had a fantastic game at No8 and was a towering presence. And all over the side there was a real improvement.

The basics were done properly which is the least you should expect from an international team.

The England team that won the World Cup went through their own painful learning period when we lost games because kicks were missed and basic handling errors were made.

It is those lessons that you learn in defeat that allow you to understand what needs to be in place to become a successful side.

I fervently hope that England have now got those errors out of their system and can really start to build for the future.

That is why I feel upbeat following the Dublin match because the team are starting to operate in the right way and results will come. I have no doubts about that.

Still, we are not in a position to start shouting about anything and three defeats is disappointing for every English player and supporter.

The Twickenham factor is still relevant - despite that performance against France - and I would never bet against England on their own pitch.

The Italians will bring with them a fearsome pack of forwards - probably the toughest in the Six Nations - and that will be another big challenge for the in-form Corry and the rest of our lads up front.

It will ensure that the team remains focused on taking a few more steps up the performance ladder.