Home turf, let alone the mushy field of worm-infested mud served up by Scotland, clearly does not guarantee Six Nations success. England's players and coaches, even so, are united in the belief that their chill, concrete Twickenham citadel could be the decisive factor in this year's title race, with unbeaten Ireland and the defending champions Wales both due to visit in the next four weeks.

The Irish, on the back of two comfortable wins in two games, will ask far more questions than a dismal Scottish side could muster but England, having collected the first away win of this season's championship, are looking forward to returning to the green, green grass of south-west London. "Playing at Twickenham is a big deal for us," said Stuart Lancaster, already braced for a potentially gripping encounter on Saturday week. "It's massive … the way our crowd has got behind us in the last few games has been huge. We owe them a decent performance because they're definitely backing us."

The hooker Dylan Hartley also thought the Twickenham effect "will add 20% to our game", with Irish memories of their emphatic defeat there two years ago still fresh. Not even the impact made by the Irish forwards against Scotland and Wales is concerning England's fast-developing tight five, a point underlined by a confident-sounding Courtney Lawes as the rain hammered down following the one-sided Calcutta Cup affair. "They are going to target the ruck area, maul us up front and make it a big physical battle. It's going to be a brawl but we are definitely ready for it."

It certainly represents the most significant test yet for England's younger players, about to go head to head with warhorses such as Paul O'Connell and Brian O'Driscoll. Send a well-coached, highly motivated Irish side packing and Lawes, Joe Launchbury, Joe Marler, Owen Farrell, Luther Burrell and Jack Nowell will feel Twickenham can be defended against all-comers. With a World Cup being held on English soil next year, establishing a fortress mentality sooner rather than later will be essential.

If they need a recent reference point, Northampton's win over Leinster in Dublin during December is an obvious place to start, albeit in conjunction with the reverse fixture at Franklin's Gardens, where Lawes, Hartley and co were blown away.

"We will certainly be telling the lads what it's like and how they can just turn up and put you on the back foot straight away," said Lawes. "It's so important we don't let that happen again." In Lawes' view this England team have already "come a long way". On a better surface and with slightly more second-half accuracy they might have scored 40 points, with the likes of Burrell, Nowell and Jonny May all doing enough to improve their chances of prolonged international careers. With Manu Tuilagi and Marland Yarde now seemingly unlikely to feature in this year's championship, it seems almost certain Lancaster will stick with the same unchanged starting XV against Ireland.

This week's camp at St George's Park near Burton-upon-Trent, however, still offers such as George Ford and Anthony Watson the opportunity to push for places on the bench. If they do not feature in the Six Nations, their next opportunity to sample Test rugby will be against the All Blacks in New Zealand, not the simplest place to ease youngsters into the swing of things.

Lancaster, even so, will be loth to tinker unnecessarily, with points difference likely to play a crucial part in the destination of the title. Billy Vunipola's offloading game, the sweet line cut by Burrell for his second try in two games for England and the assured combination between Nowell and Mike Brown, the man of the match, for the latter's try are all proof of a set of players increasingly in tune with each other.

Edinburgh is synonymous with a different kind of tattoo but the inky arms of Marler were also prominent in a fine defensive effort. "We're a lot further down the line in terms of our game understanding, what we're trying to do as a team and how we're trying to develop," said Lancaster. "It's all coming together."

None of this, sadly, should disguise the fact that Scotland were dire, worse even than their wholly inadequate pitch. This was only the second time since 1921 they have posted nil points against England at home but the most striking issue was the paucity of fire, brimstone, zest and invention. Heaven knows what their incoming coach, Vern Cotter, will make of this display; a humiliating 20-point defeat by Italy in Rome could yet be possible.

For those old enough to recall the Irvines and the Rutherfords, the Hastings and the Renwicks, the steady wilting of the thistle is hugely dispiriting. The current team-sheet may contain Cross and Low but 'Furious' and 'Depressed' would be more reflective of the local mood. If the dropping of their captain, Kelly Brown, was meant to concentrate minds, it had the opposite effect. The premature replacement of Dave Denton, their most effective forward, was also odd, as was the coach Scott Johnson's public criticism of his "naive" decision-makers with his replacement captain, Greig Laidlaw, sitting two feet away. One could almost see the mutual faith draining from both of them.

While it may be sacrilegious to say so, England would probably have had a tougher time playing Georgia in Tbilisi. As yet, of course, there is no promotion and relegation element in the Six Nations but at this rate, who knows? If the Scottish Rugby Union can muster neither a pitch nor a competitive national team, by what criteria does it have a divine right to a place in Europe's flagship tournament?

Scotland Hogg; Seymour (Evans, 65), Dunbar, Scott (Taylor, 73), Lamont; Weir, Laidlaw (capt; Cusiter, 65); Grant (Dickinson , 43), Ford (Lawson, 43), Low (Cross, 68), Swinson, Hamilton (J Gray, 70), Wilson, Fusaro, Denton (Beattie, 53).

Sin-bin Dunbar 52.

England Brown; Nowell, Burrell (Barritt, 74), Twelvetrees , May (Goode, 70); Farrell, Care (Dickson, 74); Marler (M Vunipola, 65), Hartley (T Youngs, 70), Cole (Thomas, 76), Launchbury (Attwood, 62), Lawes, Wood, Robshaw (capt), B Vunipola (Morgan, 70).

Tries Burrell, Brown. Cons Farrell 2. Pen Farrell. Drop goal Care.

Referee J Garces (Fr). Att 67,100.