Most of us have been there. A dull throb as the eyelids slowly open; a desperate fumble for the Berocca; a slow roll out of bed and search for a packet of bacon, a pair of running trainers or whatever happens to be one’s particular cure of choice. Slowly, the hazy recollections emerge into a heavy head – perhaps a night to be remembered, perhaps one to forget.
For England, a ninth-ever win over New Zealand falls firmly as the former, and there might have been a few in need of nursing last Sunday morning. Publicly, the players were given licence to celebrate a performance that proved their progress as they wished as Steve Borthwick recognised the importance of allowing his squad to let off some steam after what feels a significant victory in the growth of a side increasingly looking in encouraging shape. An eight-day turnaround to their final fixture of 2025 was helpful; an environment that has perhaps found a better balance between light and shade than some past groups, too.
