With the start of the 2011 Rugby World Cup little more than seven months away, the road to New Zealand will well and truly get underway in Cardiff on Friday night.

The opening game of the RBS 6 Nations will provide a big test for Martin Johnson’s men and both teams will be looking to get off to the perfect start.

A packed house at the Millennium Stadium is a formidable prospect, and England will have to get on top from the off – competing up front and stretching the play across the backs.

The autumn proved that on their day, this England team can beat the best in world rugby. It also proved that England are susceptible to the odd blip. Brilliant against Australia and bafflingly weak against South Africa – the key for England over the next couple of months is to find the consistency to challenge for top spot.

The game on Friday night will set the tone for the whole Six Nations, perhaps even the World Cup. From the outset England must go for the jugular and get under Welsh skin. This is about who wants it more – England haven’t won a Six Nations game in Cardiff since 2003 and it’s important they break that hoodoo on Friday night.

Wales are missing Adam Jones and Gethin Jenkins. There’s no doubt that it’s a huge blow to their make-up, but I don’t expect England to rest on their laurels. With the likes of Easter and Sheridan marshalling the English pack, I’d be very surprised to see even a smidgen of complacency creep into their game.

The most exciting aspect of England’s game at present lies in the back three combination of Foden, Cueto and Ashton. If they can strike up the sort of telepathic relationship they were operating with during the autumn, I don’t think too many defences in this Six Nations, let alone the world, will be able to live with them.

In the absence of Lewis Moody, the more experienced guys in and around the squad will have to stand up and be counted. The likes of Worsley, Shaw, Tindall and Wilkinson have seen it all before and it’s up to them to keep the younger ones on the right path. The off-pitch psychology of the team is just as important as it is on it, and Martin Johnson finally seems to have everyone pulling in the same direction.

With players looking to cement their place in the side, as well their seat on the plane down under, I’m expecting England to explode out of the blocks on Friday.

The opening weekend of any Six Nations is special and we’ll have a better idea of where each team is at next Monday. For now let’s enjoy international rugby being back on the agenda and hope that England get off to a flyer this weekend.

Dynamic and devastating one week, resilient and patient the next. England’s win against Samoa on Saturday epitomised just how they have progressed over the last 12 months. Erratic performances have too often defined Martin Johnson’s tenure as England coach however the nature of their display last weekend suggested a new found versatility.

After the sensational win over Australia, this game was always going to find it hard to live up to expectations. Having said that England did enough to suggest that they are beginning to find the mettle to grind out results.

Samoa’s physical approach disrupted the game’s early rhythm and England failed to re-discover the same intensity which had caught the Australians napping a week earlier. Indeed it was Samoa who scored the first points of the day after some slick offloading down the right wing.

Despite a minor wobble at the start of the second half, which saw Samoa pull ahead 8-6, it was England’s collective skill which proved the difference over 80 minutes. This was a win built on hard work and self belief, two attributes which will carry the team a long way.

Great teams have a habit of grinding out wins without playing at their best and whilst England haven’t become a great team overnight, they did show the necessary grit and determination to see off an opponent who, for long periods on Saturday, proved more than just a nuisance.

A special word must go to Nick Easter who has been reinvigorated this autumn. He has risen to the fitness challenge set out at the start of the season and lead the team well on Saturday, fully deserving of his moment as England’s main man.

So three games down and one to play. England’s autumn has been a good one but they will want to end it with one last hurrah. The Springboks arrive at Twickenham on the back of a fairly indifferent autumn. Unconvincing wins against Ireland and Wales were followed by a humbling defeat in Edinburgh last weekend.

The likes of Victor Matfield and Morne Steyn are class performers on any given day and when those two are in the mood, the South Africans are a different prospect entirely.

There is no doubt that South Africa are finding the going tough at the moment but World Champions don’t have that tag for no reason and England will need to be wary.

Indeed some of this team will still have vivid memories of South Africa taking their crown in Paris three years ago – Mark Cueto will be particularly fired up after his try that never was, a moment which swung the World Cup pendulum South Africa’s way. After a similar decision against him on Saturday Mark is certainly due one soon.

Twickenham has been treated to some scintillating test rugby during November and on Saturday, England have the chance to cap a great few weeks. Time will tell just how far they have come, but what is for sure is that the rest of the world is sitting up and taking note. Let’s hope they are stood bolt upright come the World Cup next year.

As the Twickenham faithful headed for the turnstiles on Saturday, they did so with a great deal of optimism for the coming weeks. Despite seeing England beaten by a classy New Zealand outfit, it was the manner of the defeat which will have so pleased Martin Johnson.

17-3 down at half time and seemingly out of the contest, Johnson rallied the troops and my how they responded after the restart. They grafted and crafted in equal measure and, at times during the second half on Saturday, made the All Blacks look vulnerable.

The foundation for the fight back was laid down by the English pack who had their most assured performance in recent games. Dan Cole is growing in stature match by match and the number of penalties given against his highly rated opponent Tony Woodcock were a credit to the Leicester tight-head.

Cole’s dogged determination up front was supplemented well by an industrious Courtney Lawes and resilient Nick Easter, whose game seems to be coming back together at just the right time.

The back line certainly had their moments on Saturday but silly mistakes at crucial times too often let them down. Cut them out against the Aussies at the weekend and England stand a really good chance of victory.

I believe the key on Saturday will be how quickly England can get the likes of Foden, Ashton and Hape into the game.  We saw glimpses of their unquestionable potential versus New Zealand but now it’s time for them to deliver a match winning performance – one that firmly announces their arrival on the world stage.

Whilst Australia may not possess the individual brilliance of someone like Dan Carter, they do have a remarkable team spirit. Confidence is high in the camp and rightly so. Having beating the All Blacks in Hong Kong and then dismantling the Welsh in their own backyard, England need to be on their guard and cannot afford to take their foot off the pedal.

Australia are a team that seem to be gelling at just the right time. Quade Cooper and Kurtley Beale have been stand-out performers recently, however skipper Rocky Elsom deserves a great deal of credit for the way he has lead by example. Some people questioned the appointment when he was given the responsibility last year but those murmurs have now been well and truly banished.

If England thought they were in a test match last weekend then this Saturday will be no different. England-Australia is one of the great rivalries in world sport and, with their cricketing counterparts poised to do battle, this will be more than just a tasty little appetiser at the home of rugby.