Lawrence Dallaglio previews England's Six Nations campaign...

As Twickenham prepares to take centre stage once again, the RBS Six Nations 2010 presents England with the perfect opportunity to bounce back from an indifferent autumn and give supporters something to cheer about.

Outside of the World Cup, the Six Nations provides the toughest test of mental strength and consistency.

Five games against Wales, Italy, Ireland, Scotland and France in the space of six weeks will test the resolve of Martin Johnson’s men.

Having captained an England team, including myself, to the Grand Slam in 2003, Johnno will be under no illusions as to how tricky the task is going to be.

Looking at the tournament itself, England’s chances are pretty good.

They don’t go into the championships with much form, having won only seven of their last 15 matches, but there are a lot of reasons for England fans to be positive.

The most important factor is the return to the squad of several key players.

Nick Easter, Delon Armitage and Riki Flutey were sorely missed during the autumn and their inclusion, after returning to fitness, will give the whole squad a lift.

A lot will once again be made of Johnson’s team selection.

So far he has been very loyal to Steve Borthwick as both player and captain and I wonder if this will still be the case come the end of the campaign.

Every time we talk about the young guns coming through the old dogs come back to bite.

Lewis Moody and Simon Shaw have been in great form this season, and I expect them to play a major part again.

It will certainly be interesting to see if the younger guys get a look in.

Let’s hope that Courtney Lawes gets unleashed on the opposition.

Ben Foden is another to look out for and I would be surprised, given the quality of his performances for Northampton over the last 18 months, if he wasn’t afforded a chance to shine over the coming weeks.

I would also like to see Ugo Monye back in his favoured position on the wing where he will be able to have a significant impact when England are in the ascendency.

Another positive for England is the fixture list.

They play their first game at home (against Wales), which is key in a small and compact tournament like the Six Nations.

I have often spoken about the importance of getting off to a good start and a win against the Welsh would set England up nicely for the rest of the competition.

Their second and only other home game is against Ireland. The Irish are favourites to retain the 6 Nations crown, but with a packed Twickenham behind the boys in white, England stand a great chance of victory.

Confidence and momentum play a huge part in this tournament.

Two years ago England got off to a bad start against Wales, who went on to win the Grand Slam.

This time around England will look to beat the Welsh before heading to Rome to face Italy and return to Twickenham to face Ireland having won two out of two.

It’s therefore vital that come the final whistle on Saturday England have won the game.

Wales will have different ideas about that. Despite their injury problems, we know Warren Gatland, Shaun Edwards and Rob Howley will have prepared the team extremely well.

They will be without their injured Lions scrum-halves Mike Phillips and Dwayne Peel but for me their star man is Jamie Roberts.

England will need to make sure they keep him quiet because he is one of those players that can really make things happen in the blink of an eye.

The game against Wales on Saturday marks 100 years of England Rugby at Twickenham.

It is one of the greatest stadiums on the planet, and I don’t say that just because I’m English.

It has seen some of the greatest moments in rugby over the years, it’s revered all over the world and I, as a player, had the privilege to make my England debut there.

It is a very special arena and has come a long way since my first experience in 1991, watching England play France in front of a then sell-out crowd of about 40,000.

To think it’s now double the size less than 20 years later is phenomenal. It really is a great, gladiatorial arena and I am extremely proud to be an RFU centenary ambassador.

Let’s hope Twickenham serves up another vintage England display on Saturday.

Lawrence Dallaglio is rugby ambassador for Greene King IPA, the Official Beer of England Rugby. To find your nearest Official England Rugby Supporter Pub visit www.greenekingipa.co.uk