Matt Dawson column: ‘There is no point in England having stars if their talent is stifled’

England have the talent to perform better than they did in Saturday's Six Nations win against Wales, but in order to do that their players need more freedom.

There were glimpses at Twickenham of excellent control but they were only glimpses. It was not as if there were 30 minutes of England dominating. A lot of it was Wales' mistakes.

I know those mistakes came from lots of England pressure but some of the penalties Wales conceded were really soft.

The discipline and defence on show from Eddie Jones' men were good. It was just a shame that the attack could not create the opportunities that all the possession they had warranted.

England have got to be more ruthless in the way they attack. Whenever they get to certain parts of the field it is like everyone slots into the way they train, the things they have spoken about in camp.

That was apparent against Wales, who were ready to counter-attack and throw caution to the wind. England were not like that.

It felt quite mechanical. And because they are big, strong and very fit they could get away with it.

But they still have to play Ireland and France, and what concerns me is that those two sides will absolutely compete with England up front, so they will need a bit more initiative.

I would let the players finish attacking moves how they want to.

England have the brilliant flair of fly-half Marcus Smith, who can create something out of nothing. If he sees an opportunity, he should be allowed to go with his instinct — how he would do it for his club Harlequins.

What constantly impresses me about Smith is that he is playing within the system but then when it is time for him to have a little dart or hit a cross-field kick, manage the game a bit, he does.

He has all the skills and if he has