Were there three easy tries or was it just two? Jonny Wilkinson's foot in touch and, of course, Jason Robinson pouncing on Sean Lamont's fumblings.

The English do not care what the legitimacy of Scotland's misgivings. The win was all they desired and with it the confirmation that Brian Ashton's assembling of the old guard was the right call.

Jonny Wilkinson, Jason Robinson and Mike Tindall. Three World Cup winners, all at the centre of Ashton's resurrection project, rewarded the old man in spades.

Even their presence on the pitch at the start of the match raised the tempo of expectation and when the cameras at Twickenham moved closer to the choirboy face of Wilkinson as God Save the Queen thundered out, the message was that this was the real England.

The great stadium was once again England's Green and Pleasant Land. Yes, it was that sort of day.

"It's just the start. It's just the first game," chirped scrumhalf Harry Ellis after the match. "Brian has given us the opportunity to play what we see and try to enjoy it."

In Ellis's performance there was an unfettered spirit, but all heads turned to the phenomenal Wilkinson, who returned after a hiatus of 30 Test matches over a three-year span,

Wilkinson shipped 14 stitches in his mouth as he lived up to his comeback in a way that would have been barely believable had it been penned by the scriptwriters of Brookside. All he was missing was a white stallion as he played out his magical part in the Twickenham love-in.

"I definitely had doubts," said the outhalf, who had played only 40 minutes of competitive rugby over the last seven weeks because of a kidney tear.

"You have doubts before every game. Today a couple of kicks drifted off target and you wonder what would happen if six out of eight do that. Definitely I had doubts and I was exactly the same three years ago."

Missing two kicks from 10, both from the extremities of the pitch, and never once flinching from the tackles that had his body in ruins for so long after the last World Cup, Wilkinson performed as though he had never left the stage.

"It's good to go out and feel that we've done ourselves an acceptable degree of justice," he added. "I cannot stand having "what ifs?" in my head - the regret zone that would keep me up to 5.30 in the morning.

"You just play the game, react to the next minute and play for the win. I know more than anyone that these things can be taken away just like that and I believe I earned my right to play because of the way I prepared. I'm a great believer in what you put in you get out."

It had to take something absurdly heroic to outshine Jason Robinson and Ellis, but even the great World Cup-winning winger, who scored two of England's tries, doffed the cap to his old team-mate.

"Jonny was outstanding. He's not had game time for three years. To come in now under so much pressure . . . he was outstanding," said Robinson shaking his head.

"No, it doesn't surprise me. When you're around him and you see his attention to detail, the time he spends perfecting what he does . . . you see him kicking at goal, spending hours and hours out there. It's not by fluke. This happens because of dedication. Jonny got today what he deserves."

Even Ashton, normally a little dour and understated, warmed to the theme of a new and improved midfield commander.

"The amount of communication he and (Andy) Farrell gave was quite staggering," said the coach. "At certain times in the game that was evident. Skillwise, he's improved too. His footwork going into the line is really good. It was good before but he did it before the line.

"Now he actually takes defenders on and moves them around, which creates doubt and creates space around him. He can go to the line and find a pass from five to 15 metres with unerring accuracy. His passing is technically excellent."