Indeed - and wonderful to select a 3/4-line which has some quality and pace out wide, and wasn’t focused on kicking – and obviously without the attacking damping factor of a non-running 12. I think it’s taken a few games to exorcise the ghost that was Jones’ operating model of kicking, chasing and simply spinning the ball aimlessly down the line metres behind the gain-line and expecting something to happen! Who’d have thought, England playing front-foot gain-line rugby for a lot of the match 
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Well that was a great game of Rugby.
Purpose, accuracy, discipline and a bit of fire in that performance. Where has that been for the last few years!
If you have forwards and 3/4rs breaking the line (or at least generating quick ball) you don’t need to kick the ball away. I thought Mitchell was excellent, Earl too but a whole team effort. I even saw Itoje pass the ball!
Bruce
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Saturday was a great advert for the 6N. Two unexpected results and both games were edge of the seat stuff. Great to see England finally playing some attacking running rugby and Italy finally getting the win they deserve. Roll on the final round of matches and todays game too.
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Having had time to reflect on yesterday’s game, it still feels a little unreal given the universal depth of lack of expectation from England fans to pundits alike. As they say, it’s the hope that kills you - and one decent game cannot gloss over the feeling that while we now know there is a good team waiting to break out, normal service is just waiting to be resumed. So that is the real job for Borthwick, the RFU and Premiership but hey it was good for just a moment last night.
I think Ireland are the first team to have been really unlucky with their bench split gamble, with the Nash injury probably costing them the first try as he would normally have been covering that line and then later having to move Gibson-Park to the wing. England were fortunate that having emptied their bench and then going down to 14 through a late injury they were still able to deliver that last marvellous drive up to the drop goal.
Today’s match a real curate’s egg but quite entertaining for the neutral. England will hope French defence as holey next week.
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Hope they are better
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Re-watched the game yesterday and to my eyes the stand-outs were:
1- England’s skill level and error count was very good = of course, much lower scrum count, and England just about held their own (usual debateable scrum pens x 2 perhaps!).
2- Penalty count from both teams was relatively low = much more flowing game. England didn’t concede stupid pens.
3- England’s open play maintained their 3/4-line, so they could exploit space – and having a running & roving 15 makes such a difference. You don’t need Steward to claim the ball in a crowd when most ball is kicked long.
4- their gain-line flat set-ups, with obvious close-support, were due to (1) very penetrative. Not so good when players got isolated.
It was very much Ireland and AB’s model to my eyes, where all 15 have to participate in ball retention and recycling – and this is built from mobility. Have the Neil Back comparisons now been laid to rest about Ben Earl? Shouldn’t have even started!
Yes, England benefited from Ireland’s injuries, equally England left 5 points out there from missed kicks.
5- the rush defence model is exposing the 13 channel, in the same way Slade sucked Ireland’s 13/14 up to the line at times and then passed behind them.
If this is England’s new model, then more power to them – I just hope they can compete with the power teams (e.g. France), as you really need momentum in a game, on the basis attack is a form of defence. I feel sorry for Wales, as they got steamrolled in H2 – which only heightened my pet hate of having 8 subs.
Lastly, I’m off to buy shares in Currys, as a few new TVs may be required after Care tried a grubber near Ireland’s line in ~77th minute when England were down by 2 points
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I definitely thought England were copying the ‘Ireland style’ during the game. Noticeable that forwards tended not to just carry singly but in a ‘pod’ with an option to pass between them, and rapid recycling also possible with bodies arriving quickly. Also when near the line not just easy to defend one-out carries. This seems like a bit of a revolution compared to the last couple of year.
Another modern tactic was getting the wings busy in-field. England wings in recent years (perhaps with the exception of Nowell) seemed glued to the touchline, just hoping the ball reached them twice a match. I agree re Steward too; for a couple of years he was a standout in a team that had invested so much in high kicks but a more flexible and creative 15 added a lot more.
The defence looks shaky, Slade in particular seems a bit lost with the system at times. Work in progress. At least they showed far more discipline in defence, not conceding dumb penalties in bad places.
Most of all I enjoyed the match, almost as much as Italy v Scotland. Recently I have watched England out of duty rather than pleasure.
Bruce
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Both my son and I were watching the game independently and were both swearing at the TV when DC attempted to kick away possession when it was clear to see with only minutes to go we NEEDED to keep the ball. What was he thinking?
Perhaps he was influenced by the tapes of the Farrell’s masterclass in how to kick away possession in the oppo’s 22 
I must admit I had a moment of incredulity too, as I had when Farrell did this kind of thing.
@BruceW – yep, the defence is a concern. The outside centre position is horrible on a big pitch, where you get tempted to run in (sometimes forming a crescent/dog-leg defence), only to see the ball go in behind you or over you. Nowadays, teams are focusing on the power game down the 10-channel to tie-in the backrows/inside centre, then going wide with numbers. It’s not Slade’s fault e.g. against Italy and teams who spread the ball in a pedestrian manner, you get help and can man-up. Against others, you get 13/14/15 running at you, noting your own 11/14 generally sit deeper in case of a kick and to be able to cover in behind as needs be. Ireland are also clever that they run a back-rower down the 12/13 channel and release the ball before contact to make an overlap.
It’s another reason to have a more mobile 15 who has a chance to cover across.
As part of modernisation of the 6 Nations Wales may opt to receive a silicone spatula later today 
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There will be no singing in the valleys this evening unless Wales improve somewhat in the second half boyo:sheep:
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Given that Dripthing MkII got the nod earlier this morning I don’t think there’ll be much celebration either way. 
My Welsh cousin and i have come to an agreement , he won’t mention the English cricket team and I won’t mention Welsh rugby
Harmony restored
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Gee guys ain’t looking good. Italy are playing like a team how every un Italian is that.
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Fair play to Italy they’ve had a great Six Nations, at this stage they are by far the better team.
Great try from Pani.
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If you can’t beat ‘em might as well join ‘em I guess…
…following on from a very nice coffee from my Bialetti clone on top of the log burner with late breakfast…
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I don’t follow rugby - but for Wales to win the wooden spoon in the Six Nations and to be beaten in Wales by Italy would I thought had been an impossibility
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I don’t think it’s a bad thing for the Six Nations at all.
All the sides wax and wane over the years, not great if your team is nose diving, but we all have good and bad years just like any other team sport.
Wales have a very inexperienced squad, have shown flashes of things perhaps to come but it is what it is.
Italy have been pretty consistent this year and far better than most previous years overall - far better to have six teams where it could be anyone’s championship.
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