There is a digital clock in the foyer of the old RFU offices on Rugby Road that is counting down to the beginning of the World Cup. As England walked out to play Scotland yesterday evening, it said there were 180 days to go. Everything England do in this Six Nations is being seen through the prism of their prospects in the tournament which will start here at Twickenham on September 18 with their opener against Fiji. When Stuart Lancaster’s side failed their biggest test of this competition, slumping to a shattering 19-9 loss to Ireland at the Aviva Stadium a fortnight ago, many observers said the rest of the Six Nations was redundant for them. Exeter wing Jack Nowell crosses over to score England's third try and send them top of the Six Nations table . Ben Youngs hands off a tackle as England recovered from a half-time deficit to win at Twickenham . VIDEO O2 Inside Line: England v Scotland match review . They said that the match against Ireland was the only game that could tell us whether England were making significant progress in the build-up to the World Cup and nothing that happened in their last two games against France or Scotland mattered. They were damned for the manner of their defeat, of course. Unflattering comparisons were drawn with where this side stands six months before the World Cup to the level Clive Woodward’s side had reached at the same stage prior to the 2003 tournament. ‘Based on their performances in the Six Nations, England are running the risk of being labelled the most foolish team in the competition,’ England World Cup winner Will Greenwood wrote. ‘England need to play with tempo, yes, but they need to do it with their rugby brains fully engaged and that is not what they have been doing at key moments.’ England won the game but they haven't shown enough to convince yet during the Six Nations . Mike Brown was one of the better performers but England spurned too many opportunities at Twickenham . Despite the predictions, though, Saturday's battle for the Calcutta Cup told us plenty about England’s prospects in the autumn. It wasn’t all good by any means. In fact, the evidence of an exhilarating first half suggested again that England are still short of the standard they have to achieve to be realistic contenders for the World Cup. It felt like a wasted opportunity. Despite concerns that the match had not sold out, the atmosphere at Twickenham had been bolstered by the scenes playing on the screens inside and outside the stadium from Cardiff where Wales’ victory over Ireland put England back in with a chance of winning the Six Nations. When England tore Scotland apart in the opening minutes, it felt as if this could yet be the game that ignited their confidence and laid the foundation for future success. That feeling did not last for long. George Ford got England off to a perfect start in the second-half but the first half will have worried them . The England squad smile for the cameras having defeated Scotland 25-13 to win the Calcutta Cup . Defeating Scotland however will not lead the top nations to fear England, and time is running out . England were not ruthless enough in attack. They squandered chance after chance to convert breakaways, eschewing easy passes, making the wrong decisions. They should have scored four tries before half-time but they were limited to Jonathan Joseph’s score after a neat sidestep five minutes into the game. It seemed then as if England were about to embark on the points rampage that would put them in prime position ahead of the final fixtures of the competition next weekend. That rampage did not materialise. Instead, Scotland came back into the game and more doubts began to surface about England. This time, it was their defence which suffered in comparison to the heroic efforts of the Welsh earlier in the day. Mark Bennett bulldozed his way over for a score with Scotland’s first chance of the game midway through the half. Twickenham may still be a formidable place to get a result, but England are not unbeatable there . Tom Youngs (centre) leads an England breakaway as Lancaster's side returned to the Six Nations summit . England allowed Scotland back into the game too easily, and they lack momentum heading to the World Cup . Scotland actually led 13-10 at the interval. Their supporters began to dream of a first victory at Twickenham for 32 years. It was hardly the response to the defeat in Dublin that Lancaster was looking for. ‘England need to be careful out there or they could end up with real egg on their face,’ Woodward said at half-time. England banished that idea when George Ford burst over for a try three minutes into the second half but, even though Scotland never threatened again, England remained unconvincing. There were times when they seemed to be trying to set a new record for ways in which they could ruin their good work. Anthony Watson runs clear but England repeatedly failed to take their chances at Twickenham on Saturday . Twice they had tries ruled out for forward passes. A late score in the corner from Jack Nowell put a healthier gloss on the result but they will only take a four-point advantage over Ireland into the deciding weekend. It should have been more and when the final whistle went, it was met only by lukewarm applause. Sure, England may yet win the Six Nations next Saturday but the truth is that there is no sense of momentum about their build-up to the World Cup. There are moments when they excite, certainly, but there are times when they bewilder, too. The suspicion remains that even here at Twickenham, the best in the world will be too much for them in the autumn. And all the time, that clock in the old RFU headquarters keeps on counting down.
England beat Scotland 25-13 at Twickenham but missed several chances . The biggest test for Stuart Lancaster's side came in defeat by Ireland . But even after setback, England had chance to lay down a marker . Even if England win Six Nations, they will not take momentum into autumn . Top teams will still feel England are beatable, even at Twickenham .