It may not be the sweet taste of Six Nations success lasting on the lips of England but the final flavours of a coming-of-age campaign are nonetheless appetising. A record win in Cardiff; a first four-win championship in five years; a backing up of the belief that Steve Borthwick is steering his side in the right direction. The presentation paraphernalia prepared at the Principality for an England win were not, in the end, required, but there is much to be optimistic about.
“This is a great group of players,” head coach Borthwick beamed post-match. “They're desperate to get better. They want to learn. I’m delighted. Have we seen growth in them? There's probably a patch of about 15 minutes in the Ireland second half where we'd go ‘we wish we could rewrite that’. But I’ve said that we can’t. We have to learn as much as we can and step forward.”
