Six Nations 2011: England's grand plan causes no southern discomfort

Six Nations needs quality finish Comparisons between grand slam winners are about as scientific as wives rating their former husbands out of 10. Some are perceived to be better than others but, mostly, it is a wholly subjective exercise. Were the 2003 England team better than the 1978 Welsh side? Cue old joke: Yes, but Gareth Edwards was in his mid-50s. The mere fact of winning a grand slam, frankly, should be enough to command instant respect. In the 103 years since the feat was first achieved* it has happened only 36 times in total. England have done it 12 times, Wales 10, France nine, Scotland three and Ireland two. No one has ever turned round and accused any grand slam XV of being lucky scufflers. To win five Tests in seven weeks against opponents who generally hate your guts for various reasons is easier said than done. For that reason alone England are far from guaranteed to finish the job in Dublin this weekend. Even in the Clive Woodward era they fell at the final hurdle with surprising frequency. But in a World Cup year the question has to be asked: are England a top-class unit or are they simply the best of a mediocre bunch? This Saturday's game will tell us one way or the other. Because, if we're being honest, this year's Six Nations has been a mixed bag so far. Yes there have been some wonderfully tight finishes – not least Italy's two home games against Ireland and France – but no side has impressed consistently. England have found life harder and harder as the tournament has progressed and opponents have analysed their strengths. France have self-destructed, Ireland have given away a bucketload of penalties, Wales have waxed and waned. Scotland have lost all four of their games and the Azzurri were truly shocking at Twickenham. Stitch it all together and there has been precious little to frighten the southern hemisphere. Would New Zealand have struggled to put Scotland away as England did on Sunday? Not a chance. Even Chris Ashton, so sharp as a support runner, has started to squander try-scoring opportunities which Hosea Gear would seize with his eyes closed. Sonny Bill Williams would have run at Ruaridh Jackson all day long, rather than flinging the ball wide without first attempting a more direct modus operandi. How many new stars, furthermore, have announced themselves as potential World Cup stars in waiting? Ben Youngs and Tom Wood have gladdened English hearts but both were both hauled off early by Martin Johnson on Sunday. Sean O'Brien, Joe Ansbro, Sam Warburton, Alex Corbisiero and Fergus McFadden? Highly promising young players all of them but would any of them make the current All Black first XV? Several others who might have been expected to illuminate the tournament – Jonathan Sexton, Morgan Parra, Jamie Roberts – have mostly struggled to do so on a regular basis. Does any of this matter? The colour and passion has been as vivid as ever. You would be hard pressed in any sport to hear an anthem sung with more feeling than by Italy's players in Rome. Television figures, one suspects, will be healthy. Audiences in England, Ireland and Wales cannot wait for the finale. But titles and grand slams are not the only yardstick by which Europe's finest should be judged. As with the British pop charts, being number one is not a guaranteed hallmark of quality. Pitches may have been soft but too many games have fallen short of sustained international calibre. Luckily there is still one more weekend left to remove such niggling doubts. *Killer pub fact: the first country to complete a grand slam were Wales in 1908. Genuine Wood Thanks again to Tom Wood, England's up-and-coming flanker, for giving the most refreshing of interviews last week . It is always good to talk to young players who know their own mind and speak more sense about rugby than some of their elders and betters. Among other things, Wood is adamant good players are created on the pitch, not in the gym. "I like throwing a ball around. I think that gets overlooked sometimes. People don't consider standing opposite someone and passing a ball to be training. But it's the hours you spend doing that which make you comfortable on the ball. You can't really calculate how much you get out of those things." Every teenage player – backs and forwards – should heed his advice. Worth watching this week ... The pre-match formalities in Dublin. Will Martin Johnson's team stand in the right place this time? How many jobsworths will be assigned to make sure they do? What chance the Irish crowd forgetting the "red carpet row" of 2003? The build-up to kick-off at the Aviva Stadium will attract as much attention in certain quarters as the game itself.