Andrew: Young guns will carry the day

England take their first step on the long road to next year's World Cup Finals at Murrayfield tomorrow.

Changes made since the win over South Africa before Christmas point to a major shift in policy. The England team has a younger,fresher look about it - and it has been chosen with the World Cup in mind.

Jason Leonard, who nevertheless remains an important member of the squad, had already lost his place during the pre- Christmas programme to Graham Rowntree, who is making the most of his recall after being overlooked for so long.

Now the debut of hooker Steve Thompson, 23, instead of the 11-years-older Dorian West is another choice which points to the World Cup in Australia in October next year. Likewise, the return of Mike Tindall and Ben Cohen.

After four years under Clive Woodward, England have evolved into a squad with so many high-quality players that they are capable of playing any kind of game they choose - a far cry from my day when we had Plan A and not much else. Scotland at Murrayfield promises to be a fascinating encounter and England won't be wanting to talk about Grand Slams at this early stage, if only because they are probably fed up hearing about the ones that got away.

The fact is, though, they have a wonderful opportunity in the coming weeks to banish any demons created by the series of near-misses. If they beat Scotland and France, tricky as these fixtures are, then the Grand Slam is on, because they will certainly win the Twickenham matches against Ireland and Wales, and the trip to Italy should pose no problems.

But while I see England getting off to a winning start, I do not subscribe to the view that they will run away with it. Scotland will be too good for that, and they know they can count on the backing of another weekend of foul weather which will revive memories of two years ago.

I detect a more confident air within the Scottish camp, especially from their Englishbased forwards who play week in, week out in the Premiership. They will not be overawed, despite Martin Johnson's return. He, more than anyone, is crucial to the psychology of this England team. Whenever things have gone wrong, most notably in Dublin last year and Edinburgh the year before that, Johnno has not been there to put them right. He, Kyran Bracken and Jonny Wilkinson will determine how the game is played.

The team as a whole will have to play with rather more control than they exercised on the same ground two years ago. Any repeat of the recklessness they exhibited then, and they risk coming unstuck.

But I believe England will take care to get it right - and win by between 10 and 15 points.

Interview: PETER JACKSON