Soon after the sending off of Charlie Ewels, an image of Eddie Jones flashed on the big screens at either end of Twickenham. The England head coach was fearing the worst. His side were down to 14 players less than 90 seconds into a contest he himself had termed a semi-final, and the home fans, already displeased despite the just dismissal of a clumsy Ewels, appeared to up the volume of their booing at the sight of the home head coach.
Come full-time, victory was Ireland’s by a record margin, but Twickenham did not break again into boos. The blunt facts are that another bottom-half finish likely beckons for England, and it is Andy Farrell’s side that go on with Six Nations hopes intact and a bonus point win, but the English players afterwards suggested that this was a performance in which they felt a coming of age.
