It is Scotland's misfortune today to be facing an England team finishing the season stronger than anyone else. Even with a six-day turn-around from the French game, there is a spring in the step of the hosts to match the fresh blossom on the trees outside. It is as if someone has flicked a switch and reminded everyone that representing your country is to be relished rather than grimly endured.
Of course there is a danger of over-confidence but Martin Johnson's relaxed demeanour yesterday was born of quiet satisfaction rather than complacency. There is nothing sweeter to a manager's cauliflowered ears than hearing players being fiercely self-critical in the wake of a 24-point win over France. History also exerts a gravitational pull: Johnson was four days short of his 13th birthday the last time the Scots won at Twickenham in 1983. You can almost picture the young Johnno jabbing a taped-up finger at the television and vowing it would never happen again.
For all Scotland's ability in certain areas of the field it is an equally uncomfortable fact that they have leaked at least 40 points on each of their last four trips to London. Two years ago they were unlucky to run into a rampant Jonny Wilkinson in a game also refereed by today's official, South Africa's Marius Jonker, but the omens are not great from any tartan perspective. This afternoon's forecast offers no wet-weather respite and both Toby Flood and Joe Worsley have been declared fit following swift recoveries from a jarred shoulder and gashed thumb respectively.
More ominously still, England feel they can improve significantly on last weekend's French revelation. Johnson has been reiterating the importance of minor details in the great scheme of things and believes his players will not get carried away.
"People start talking about 'ambition' and 'taking the shackles off' and all those other expression they like to use but four of our tries came from turnovers. You have to out-work and out-enthuse teams otherwise those opportunities won't come. The way people are talking it's as if we only have to turn up to win. That's crazy. It's going to be a battle."
The knowledge that Wales and Ireland are gunning for the title down the M4 is also being seen as an incentive, in a backhanded sort of way, to finish with a flourish.
"We all know we've blown a big chance," admitted the ever-improving full-back Delon Armitage, seeking one last commanding performance to bolster his claims to be named the player of the tournament. "Even if we manage to beat Scotland it'll leave the same gutted feeling that we've let ourselves and England fans down."
That said, second place is still possible and Johnson would understandably regard that as progress after the heavy autumn beatings against South Africa and New Zealand. "Do teams have to go through that sort of experience? Maybe they do. If you won everything straight away, it wouldn't give you as much satisfaction. We'd love to be playing for the championship but we're not because we haven't been quite good enough."
Scotland's Frank Hadden, for his part, needs his players to conjure something special to avoid ending the season with only a solitary home win over Italy. Given he described his squad beforehand as the strongest he has presided over, the Scots' current tally of four tries from four games is not much of a safety-net prior to next month's formal review of his position.
As for Lions tour candidates, this is the crucial test for Ross Ford, Euan Murray, Mike Blair and Thom Evans. If they fade to grey, England will win with something to spare.
