England youngsters can turn on the style in Rome

Critics may say England won a game that maybe they should not have done - against a Scottish side low in confidence and on a run of four games without scoring a try - but we rose to the occasion and won with seven new caps.

Was it a great game of rugby? No. Was it a win we will happily take to Rome against a dangerous Italian side? Absolutely.

The challenge that head coach Stuart Lancaster will be setting his squad this week is: "How professional are you?" These players won't want to be the first England team to lose to Italy and that will ensure they remain focused and show their rivals respect.

While Murrayfield didn't produce a great spectacle compared to Wales's 23-21 win over Ireland in Dublin on Sunday, it was a starting point on a long journey. After the game, people were talking about what happens when this England side come up against France, Wales and Ireland but I believe we should just enjoy our first win at Murrayfield since 2004 and worry about those challenges later.

This victory showed the young England players what international rugby is all about and nobody let themself down.

Our defence was fantastic and it won the game. When the Scots did make line breaks, someone took the responsibility to step up to the plate and snuff out the danger. England kept their composure and it wasn't a case of being lucky.

Lancaster picked form players from the Premiership and asked them to produce that rugby on the Test stage. Brad Barritt was a great example of this - his defensive work bordered on the heroic.

Owen Farrell missed a couple of kicks but stayed calm and assured at just 20; Phil Dowson did not let some early errors affect him and was stronger as the game wore on while Mouritz Botha smashed
into everything.

I was also really happy for Charlie Hodgson, who returned to the No10 role and proved his defence is no longer an issue. The new caps who came off the bench all played their part.

I travelled to Edinburgh with hope and expectation because everything that had been coming out of the camp since Lancaster took over as head coach has been positive and forward thinking and he chose grounded young men who really want to represent their country. It's not about the money, it's about pulling on that jersey.

The players have been talking positively about the new coaching set-up and, hopefully, everything appears to be going in the right direction. It is never easy against Italy in Rome - I am sure they will be looking at the line breaks the Scots made and believe they can finish off those try-scoring opportunities.

The Ireland-Wales match should be an inspiration and I am sure these young English players want to perform like that - using their own particular strengths and skills - and that is why Saturday's trip to Rome is so exciting.

Jason Leonard and the Evening Standard are supporting RBS RugbyForce, the community rugby programme that is improving club facilities across the nation. To find out more or register your rugby club for the RBS RugbyForce Weekend on June 2 and 3.
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