Prophet Balshaw piles on the pain

England's 22 tries from three matches, eclipsing a 91-year-old record set by Wales, puts it into an historical perspective. Yet at Murrayfield less than a year ago, Balshaw was nothing more than a semi-frozen substitute unable to prevent the unfolding calamity. 'We went up there last year not feeling cocky but over confident, I suppose,' he said. 'When that happens, you get kicked in the backside. After that, this was very nice.'

While Balshaw still has to be tested defensively, he has cut a trail of devastation through the tournament, a broken-field runner already being talked of in the same breath as the most lethal strike full back in the world, Christian Cullen of New Zealand.

'He reminds me a lot of Cullen,' said Jim Telfer, Scotland's venerable director of rugby, who has never been lavish in the compliments department. 'You don't realise how quick Balshaw is until you try to tackle him. Before you know it, he's gone shooting off in another direction.'

The first try by Lawrence Dallaglio, the best of the six, was a classic example of Balshaw's capacity to swerve the opposition so far out of line that, even after catching him, they are in such a mess any remaining resistance crumbles. Despite the early blow, Scotland competed almost until half-time, when they wasted their one chance to nose in front.

That they subsided to their worst championship beating of all time was not so much a condemnation of the Scots but thrilling confirmation that England have taken their game to a higher level. The Australian and South African home wins were more important in giving them a global dimension but this was the most exhilarating English performance of all.

They have never scored as heavily for style and artistic impression. If the gathering political storm over club-or-country conspires with the foot-and-mouth epidemic to prevent them choreographing another exhibition this season, Clive Woodward will keep staring at 'the bigger picture', the World Cup in two years.

As manager, he has got England playing like never before, with an imagination and technical efficiency which the sliding All Blacks would kill for. 'England's problem in the past was that they were too predictable,' said Woodward. 'Now we have various ways of playing the game and that is very difficult to achieve.'

England now create tries fore and aft and variety demands that the tighthead prop runs and handles like a three-quarter, as Phil Vickery did in stitching the second try together for Richard Hill.

But even Balshaw had to concede top billing to Catt. His ability to shift the point of attack through his passing and cross-kicking did more than anything to keep the opposition running in circles and if his hanging punt allowed Bal-shaw to claim his second try from a suspiciously off- side position, the Scots were probably too dizzy to notice.

Jason Robinson made his entry in time to lead them a merry dance culminating in Will Greenwood's obligatory try. By then Finlay ('If Iain Balshaw's a full back, I'm Mel Gibson') Calder was rumoured to be in contract talks with MGM, demanding a million dollars for his first motion picture.