Johnson's men must not lose the plot

I realise that Italy are in trouble without their world-class half-back combination of Diego Dominguez and Alessandro Troncon, but you cannot afford to dismiss any Test team as also-rans. I feel desperately sorry for Italy who have spent years banging on the Five Nations door asking to be allowed into that exclusive club.

When they are finally allowed into the new Six Nations tournament, many of the players who had made their case so convincing have retired or been ruled out by injury.

This is their first Six Nations visit to Twickenham and they arrive shorn of two key players and reeling from a home defeat by Ireland.

England, apart from Dan Luger's injury, couldn't be in better shape, but to win a Grand Slam, a side have to prepare thoroughly for each game and that means going back to first base, analysing the next opposition with as much attention to detail as the last. Wales weren't a bad team, they were just beaten by a much better outfit on the day and this England side must be strong enough to realise their last game - no matter how successful - is irrelevant.

Yes, you enjoy a good win, but then you sit down in the team room and work out how to improve every aspect of your play from preparation to execution. This will require a huge mental commitment from Martin Johnson and Co as the Slam hype is already pervading everything the squad does.

They will read all week about the cricket score that should be recorded against Italy and my old foe Jonathan Davies, of Wales, insists England will have to declare to make a game of it. The hardest aspect for England will be to focus solely on this particular game, and ignore all the praise and hype.

Talk of Grand Slams and Lions tours is very enticing, but tends to take the edge off focus and appetite.

Without falling into the same trap, I have to admit it's impossible to see anything, but an emphatic win. The key for England will be to groove certain patterns of play, to build on what they achieved against Wales while showing us improved patterns of defence and new attacking options.

If, as I hope, the current team wins the Slam, how would they shape up against our 1991 side?

The present squad are now full-time professionals, while we were amateurs with careers away from the game. As the line-up from our 1991 team shows, the guys have taken many different roads and one even ended up as a journalist!

We can compare our lives after rugby at that special dinner on 6 April at the London Hilton Hotel in association with the Wooden Spoon Society, who do such outstanding rugby charity work.

It will be a great opportunity to relive past glories and, hopefully, raise a glass to England's latest Grand Slam heroes.

Of course, in my day...