Six Nations 2013: Will Greenwood says Billy Twelvetrees gives England options and a centre of excellence Take England and the questions that were being asked about who to play in the centre. It looked as if Manu Tuilagi and Barritt were the locked-down pairing. Others were mentioned, but ultimately, this was the best bet. They offered defensive solidity and raw power. They were a dependable unit. But it was also felt that they still lacked something. Did they have an outside break, or the smarts to unlock a tough defence? Could they pass their way to the try-line if they were unable to run straight over their opponents to get there? And if they could not, would not England's try-scoring ability suffer? We, the viewers, got our answer even if it was not exactly the one we expected. While Tuilagi was injured, Twelvetrees showed enough to see that he has poise, balance, confidence and that he is a thinking man's player. He lasted only 47 minutes against the Irish before being replaced by Tuilagi, but by then he had won me over. In fact, that happened the week before against Scotland. His main contribution was to put simple, lovely width on turned-over or well-won ball. He forced Scotland to head to the flanks and suddenly England were stretching them and finding gaps. It was all done simply, with precision and calmness. He made it look easy and it was good to see after so many England back lines have made even that straight-forward task look difficult recently. However, what made me sit up and take note was the way he scored his try. I remember vividly the first time I saw a similar angle being run. It was August 2002, South Africa versus Australia at Ellis Park. South Africa were losing until Werner Greeff, a slightly scary and definitely physically threatening full-back, ran one of the greatest angles of the century to snatch the game. It was a classic example of blind-spot mugging. This happens when a game is fast and quick and stretches itself to the edges of the pitch. Forwards scramble to get about and fill defensive holes in and around the ruck. But by and large they all make one error - they look at the ruck. First they have run to it and then they watch it, worried about players sneaking through it or picking up charging close to it. They want to close off the threat and then push up and out and start the defensive pattern again. What they do not expect when the scrum-half shifts the ball away is for another player to come right back at them on a diagonal line that is heading straight for the corner flag. It is a miracle of angles and confusion. It defies logic and it is an absolute classic. I spent most of my international career trying, and failing, to emulate it. Ben Kay managed to execute it much better and used to call it "Anfield" after his beloved Liverpool team. The key to it, as with so much in life and rugby, is patience. It is all about waiting for the right moment. It does not need to be a 15-phase move before it is executed, but you should not try to snatch at it after two either. Against Scotland, England had gone off the top of the line-out, had used round-the-corner runners, and gone right to the far side. Scotland were scrambling. Whatever the call was, or whatever body language was used between the one-time Leicester team-mates Ben Youngs and Twelvetrees, it worked. The Scottish forwards on the line never saw the 6ft 4in, 16st centre coming. It was daylight robbery and wonderful to see a centre - in fact, a player of any description - running such a good line. It announced Twelvetrees as an international player of real merit and means England's midfield now have the passing ability and vision they need to move forward and develop. All the coaches have to do now is work out which pair of centres to use against which opposition.