Jack Nowell cannot hide his anguish as another England opportunity slips from their grasp against Scotland © Getty Images

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It was a case of job done for England, but little more. They will head into the final weekend of the Six Nations top of the tree, but the post-match analysis will focus on the chances squandered.

It is a double-edged sword for coach Stuart Lancaster. On one hand they will praise the team's ability to carve out try-scoring opportunities. It is an almost Faustian dilemma as the devil will be there reminding them of the chances which were spilled.

Without precision, you cannot put teams to the sword. For all England's metres made with ball in hand, their profligacy was far too generous. This could have been a comfortable win. Scotland's erratic, undependable kicking game saw them scupper any chance of building an 80-minute platform but errors prevented England from bettering their points difference which could prove to be so crucial in the final weekend.

The good news from an England perspective is they started this match the best of the four in the championship. They could have had three tries in the first 10 minutes and the match should have been over as a contest but instead they went into the break behind. They also coped well under the aerial attack but Scotland's kicking game and resulting chase was the equivalent of taking a butter knife to a battle when compared to Ireland's bazooka that England had to face up to last time out. England also created a host of opportunities.

Then there was the performance of George Ford. He has an old head on young shoulders. His kicking from hand pinned Scotland in their own half and Owen Farrell, currently injured, is going to find it difficult to wrestle the Bath fly-half's colours off the No.10 mast. But like much of this England performance, he will be mindful of his two missed kicks at the sticks and also how he fared against Ireland when he was starved of time on the ball. It is about development.

Ben Youngs was crowned Man of the Match while Mike Brown did well on his return at fullback. He spilled the first ball hoofed in his direction but was calm and commanding until he was hauled off with three minutes left. Jack Nowell also showed plenty of endeavour heading forward but he was guilty of squandering one try-scoring chance in the first half - he did a remarkable impression of Annie Power at Cheltenham - and knocked on in a key area in the second.

It is these small margins and missed opportunities that will plague Lancaster's post-match analysis.

On two occasions forward passes from Ford and James Haskell prevented tries for Anthony Watson and Mike Brown - one viewer behind the press box declared "knock ons are the f*****g bane of my existence."

Regarding those opportunities missed, it was a case of "and then" when assessing them. There was the Luther Burrell break in the first throws of the match as he backed himself to steamroller Stuart Hogg but with Watson on his shoulder, he was hauled down. And then there was Hogg's try-saving tackle on Brown. From there England forced a five-metre scrum, then a penalty but conceded one on their next attempt to push Scotland back over their own line. And then there was Tom Youngs' break in the second 40 and the offload which was closer to row one than an England hand. And then…

For Scotland, they will take heart from the way they propelled England's advances in the first stages of the match. They were largely starved of ball in good areas of the field but look to Hogg's showing at fullback and his relentless work rate and the performance of Mark Bennett who was fantastic; his try was deserved reward. Blair Cowan also put his body on the line but without an accurate kicking game, they were struggling to find the necessary consistency. When they stopped kicking the ball away, they looked a better side.

For England the attention shifts to the French. Wales, Ireland and Lancaster's England will go into the final round with hopes of lifting the title. After the loss in Dublin, Lancaster would have taken this once dreams of a Grand Slam had been extinguished.

Three wins from four and sitting top of the Six Nations table with one match left is a good place to be. But the demands of a World Cup year require consistence, excellence and precision. This is a step forward for the England team but not the leap it could have been.