You could see the belief drain from the Wales players’ faces as try after try went past them.
England ran rampant in their opening game of the Six Nations to send a statement in a 48-7 demolition job at Twickenham, suggesting they are genuine contenders for a first title since 2020.
The talent and the strength in Steve Borthwick’s squad are evident, but the hunger and desire also needed to be displayed on Saturday and that was on show in spades.
Under the high balls the white shirts were stronger; at the line-outs the white shirts rose that inch higher; at the scrum and breakdown, the white shirts pushed that bit harder.
Wales could not cope with the relentlessness that England brought to the encounter, and Borthwick’s men will need more of the same when they travel to Murrayfield to face a wounded Scotland on Saturday.
At the heart of it all, George Ford pulled the strings perfectly from fly-half; his steps and shimmies allied with laser-like kicking, both at goal and in open play, epitomised by his delicate clip over the top to tee up Henry Arundell’s second try of the afternoon on the wing’s first start since the 2023 World Cup.
Freddie Steward was imperious in the air, dominant under the bombardment of kicks that rained down on the England backline, ably supported by Arundell and Tom Roebuck, who had filled in at short notice following Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s withdrawal from the starting XV because of a leg injury.
Roebuck’s return was another example of that craving to be a part of something special. The Sale man had been nursing a toe injury but, in scrum coach Tom Harrison’s words, returned “in an unideal world” a week earlier than planned. He played through the pain and was duly rewarded, dotting down to get England up and running in the second half.
Charismatic flanker Henry Pollock had spoken ahead of the game about his love for finding out what annoys opponents, with his opposite number, Alex Mann, sparking a storyline in the build-up.
“We’re both niggly,” Mann said. “That’s his character; his style of play. I quite like trying to get under people’s skin.”
While it took Pollock until the second half to enter the fray, he did so in typical fashion. Charging into crushing challenges, sniffing out the loose ball, and adding that extra weight to the pick-and-go moments, he outshone his tricky opposite number and then some.
The Northampton back row was at the centre of England’s second-half penalty try, crashing over after neat interplay down the blindside from Ford and Tommy Freeman. He was unfortunate to stray into touch as he planted the ball, taking a huge hit from Taine Plumtree as he did so.
But fortune favoured the brave, as the home side were awarded the five points, with Plumtree adjudged to have tackled Pollock into touch illegally.
Borthwick had emphasised the importance of players’ versatility on the big stage, and while Tommy Freeman is still acclimatising to his new role in midfield, he still has that scoring knack of the wing that rose to international stardom.
He produced penetrative runs and pinged precise passes at No13, but upon switching back to his natural wide berth, he showcased his lethal finishing streak, bursting down the blindside to add gloss to a superb afternoon’s work.
His persistence to reach the line, shrugging off flailing bodies, personified the hunger that Borthwick has instilled in his players.
Of course, tougher tests are to come, but on the evidence of their first outing, England are going to take a bit of stopping this year.
