WHEN the heat was turned up on England around the hour mark, and they needed composure from their key decision-makers at scrum-half and No 8, the Harlequins pairing of Andy Gomarsall and Nick Easter passed the test. With Samoa throwing everything at England, it seemed as if they might crack, but Gomarsall and his partner at the back of the scrum kept their heads to allow England to repel the waves of attack.

Gomarsall was my man of the match because he bossed the pack into delivering the ball when he needed it and kept the Samoans guessing. He drew on all his experience and it rubbed off on the rest of the team. Easter is a big strong unit, and not the quickest No 8. If you lack pace, you have to boss the game like Dean Richards used to. Easter could not have a better tutor, and if he develops Deano’s ability to slow the game down, and to anticipate where the ball is going to be, he could become a regular fixture. This was a Brian Ashton combination that worked, and it was a big plus in securing England an all-important win.

It was not a wonderful performance and it looked at one stage as if it could go wrong, but they dug in together and came through it. The most significant improvement in England’s game was the way that they managed to lift the tempo at crucial times. Time after time we have seen England ball-carriers receiving the ball from a standing start and unable to get over the gain-line. Gomarsall played a crucial role in changing this by getting the forwards to get their timing right when running onto the ball.

The performance was nothing to write home about, but at least it was an improvement - and a victory. Gradually, England may be getting better. The clearest sign of this were the two tries by Paul Sackey, the first from Wilkinson’s grubber, and the second when he read Jonny’s inside step brilliantly and finished well. It will be a happier England camp, but there is still plenty to fix.