One of my big bugbears at the moment is talk of England's tempo. Get the ball to Jonathan Joseph and let him do his thing, watch Ben Youngs get to the breakdown quickly and ping it out or see a break from Anthony Watson and it seems to tick that box of 'tempo'. That's all very well and good but England are missing a trick - they are too slow at getting from one set piece to the next.

Watch England's game against Italy back again. Have a look at the second-half when England had Italy on the ropes, they were still trundling from penalties to lineouts and taking their time over kicks. England were far and away the fitter team and if they improve that side of their 'tempo', they could be even more formidable.

The good news for England from Saturday's game was they clocked up 47 points. The win also came despite them playing below the levels the coaches will expect from them. I imagine Andy Farrell will go medieval when they do the post-match analysis as their defence at times was a concern. The coaches will be disappointed with the manner in which they have started both games and conceding the early tries. I don't think there is anything in particular you can put this down to but there are a few combinations which are still learning how to play alongside each other and that will improve game-on-game.

The number of missed tackles - 22 - was also startling but the way England worked their way back into the game was positive and they just need to improve on the little two to three percenters. There was no pressure on Italy and it was effectively a lose-lose game for England as they were expected to hammer them but there were some good performances. Dave Attwood and George Kruis are growing by the game while Billy Vunipola has stepped into Ben Morgan's shoes well and his leg-drive is fantastic. He's back to the kind of form that got him into the England team in the first place.

Jonny May's case is an interesting one. He's made a couple of repeated mistakes and that's disappointing but I don't think England play to his talents. He is a different type of player to Jason Robinson but like May, both needed the ball in space. He is rangy and has pace but he sometimes just needs to back himself. Look at that try against New Zealand, there was no way in hell he should have thrown caution to the wind that early on but he backed himself and showed why he can be such a potent weapon.

And then there is Jonathan Joseph. I see little point in comparing him to England players from the past as he is his own man and has a huge amount of potential. What I really like about him is that he's not one of these robots we see playing the game these days. It doesn't look like he's been told to bulk up at the age of 16 and instead he's just an athlete who has great skills and balance. He doesn't fit the mould of the typical rugby player and that's so refreshing.

Up next for England is the trip to Dublin. I know how tough it is to win there - on the two occasions I played for England at Croke Park, we lost both. A lot is expected of this current Ireland team after their superb 2014 but they aren't yet hitting top form. They haven't got the continuity we saw from them in the autumn.

It looks like they could be without Jamie Heaslip for the England game but like their opponents, they are also a team in transition. Heaslip was a casualty of what was a hugely physical match against France but from an Ireland point of view, it was one they would have lost had it been three years ago. They would have crumbled but there is a belief and backbone in the Ireland team. And when you have Johnny Sexton and his metronomic boot, you always have a chance.

Talk of a Grand Slam is premature for both sides, but I think England will win in Dublin. They have the game plan, nous and leg-drive to beat Ireland but they must also boss the breakdown. If England can take the best of what they did in Wales, the confidence of being able to score tries through their own creativity like they did against Italy, tighten up the set piece, sharpen up in defence and continue kicking well - they will win.

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