SCOTLAND have a team capable of going to Twickenham and winning. That is the big takeaway from their performance against Wales at BT Murrayfield yesterday. It is a huge ask, but they showed they have the spirit, skills, physicality and ability to surprise the English at their own headquarters.

Part of that is that I don’t think England are quite as good as their recent record suggests; to a large extent they have been getting lucky at the right times and sooner or later that run of fortune has got to end.

The big thing, though, is that this looks to be to be the best Scotland side I have seen since back in my own playing days when we had a team capable of winning the Grand Slam.

That means Scotland have to back themselves and go to Twickenham in a fortnight in the belief that, if they get their game right, they can cause an upset and win for the first time in 34 years. That is not being over-confident, it is being realistic.

After that performance against Wales, the guys deserve the backing that comes from being talked about as a side that can beat England, they have demonstrated the scoring touches and the defensive qualities that can bring that result.

There is a bigger picture as well. The British & Irish Lions head for New Zealand this year and with Warren Gatland, the Lion coach, in the stand watching, he must have been busy crossing off Welsh names pencilled into his team sheet, and replacing them with Scots.

A whole pile of Scotland players certainly did a lot to press their cases, and not just the obvious ones but some who might have been seen as long shots a few weeks ago.

Look at the likes of Hamish Watson. I must admit I was surprised when he was left out of the initial team and when he came on he vindicated my judgment with an all-action performance. He had a massive impact and he was far from the only one.

Finn Russell had a great game, not just with his kicking, but the way he varied his all-round play. We were all worried that with Greig Laidlaw missing, goal kicking might be a problem, but Russell stood up to be counted, made a statement and formed a good partnership with Ali Price, who must be delighted with his first start.

For me, though, the player who made the biggest strides forward was Tim Visser. He won the ball in the air and defended at the right times, things he had been criticised for in the past. On top of that he was involved in both the tries. He has to be one of the first names on the team sheet for England.

Another to enhance his case was John Barclay. He one of these guys who sometimes goes under the radar, but does so much work, has so much skill, it is hard to do without him.

He reminds me of John Jeffrey with the skill and the application he brings to the game, and that is no small praise since Jeffrey was one of the best players I came across on the field over the years. He was one of the cleverest players and Barclay is in that bracket.

When you consider that he was left out for 21 months by Scott Johnson, you wonder what Scotland lost during that time. Things could have been different if he had been involved all along with his skill, experience and everything else he brings to the game.

You have to remember that Wales are a good side, and Scotland beat them reasonably easily. The first half was nip and tuck, penalty here,

penalty there and Wales had a couple of chances but turned over a lot of ball. Once they got going, though, Scotland were outstanding in the way they approached the job in hand.

I have not got so excited about a game for a long time. I know a lot of the boys and I am so pleased that, finally, they are starting to realise their potential. The mentality and attitude in this squad is as good as I have seen since 1999 when the boys were playing so well in places like Cardiff and Paris.

The important thing now is that the team cannot afford to look back. They have to look forward and work out how they can use the result against Wales to be the next team to win at Twickenham. I know they can do it.