By Jeremy Guscott Former England centre

The Six Nations is only four weeks away but I truly believe that 14 England shirts - other than new skipper Phil Vickery - are up for grabs.

They have been so poor recently that their predicament is not about building towards the World Cup, it's about winning the next game. To do that you should pick purely on form.

Wilkinson is no bad thing to have in the squad if he gets himself fit

That means players named in the Saxons squad should have just as good a chance of starting as those currently in Brian Ashton's first senior squad.

England have lacked that competition for places in the past few years. You've got to create an air of unpredictability within a squad so that everyone is on edge.

Overall, though, I'm very pleased - the squad has got a lot of potential with some good experience, and it obviously reflects how Ashton wants to play the game.

But sometimes there's a misinterpretation of what Ashton believes rugby union is all about. The game, in his eyes, is about getting hold of the ball and making the best use of it.

It's not about playing attractive rugby, it's about playing intelligent rugby.

One of the most talked about areas will be at fly-half, where Ashton has named two 20-year-olds - Toby Flood and Shane Geraghty - alongside the injury-ravaged Jonny Wilkinson.

We've spent a lot of time on Grandstand recently discussing England's problems at number 10 and that's a long, drawn-out conversation, but the fundamental issue is the lack of English fly-halves playing in the Premiership.

My heart says you've got to get Mathew Tait in there somewhere

Geraghty doesn't always start for London Irish, which is a bit of a problem for me. A player should be the best at his club to get picked for his country, but obviously he's got potential otherwise Ashton wouldn't pick him.

The jury is still out on Flood for me. I've seen nothing to really excite me but I'm open-minded. I've just got to be convinced.

As for Wilkinson, I'm just glad to see he's healthy again. And he's no bad thing to have in the squad if he gets himself fit. He has a reputation, no matter what anybody says.

England have enjoyed good possession recently but failed to score too many points and Jonny is a guy who can keep the scoreboard ticking over in the most intense situations.

But my gut says I wouldn't have him around the squad until he was fit to train.

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Of the three scrum-halves - Harry Ellis, Shaun Perry and Peter Richards - I still think Ellis has the most potential. People tell me he's had enough opportunities and hasn't reached a high enough level of consistency.

But I think he needs to be sat down and flipping told, 'Look, all I want you to do is get to the breakdown and wang out a pass. If there's a gap, go for it'.

I think he's the quicker and stronger out of the three, he just needs to get some good tactical awareness.

It would be a big surprise if Andy Farrell made the starting line-up throughout the Six Nations

Another big talking point in the backs is at inside centre. Jamie Noon doesn't let you down, but he doesn't necessarily do what Ashton likes in a 12 which is to be a bit more of a distributor.

This explains the recall for the experienced Mike Catt, though in terms of defence and ball retention, I don't see anything massively wrong with a Noon/Mike Tindall combination.

But my heart says you've got to get Mathew Tait in there somewhere because of his skill and his quality.

Let's be honest, it would be a big surprise if Andy Farrell made the starting line-up throughout the Six Nations.

We'll still have to see what he does at Saracens, although there's no reason why, as England coach, you couldn't pick him if you thought he could step up, but you wouldn't half be sticking your neck on the block.