Ireland’s hopes were extinguished in the 36th minute. When Tom Court came from the bench to replace Mike Ross, defeat loomed out of the gloom. It was an ominous inevitability.
Alex Corbisiero is not one of the most formidable technicians but he made a mess of Ross’s replacement. In wet, swirling conditions the foundations have to be as solid as possible. Ireland were never playing with anything other than a struggling scrum but the departure of the first-choice tighthead ended the match as a contest.
Twelve months ago England headed to Dublin intent on a Grand Slam and left with a headache that had nothing to do with late carousing. In the first minute the English scrum, perceived as one of the side’s strengths was shunted backwards; psychologically the damage was done.
At Twickenham it was England intent on damage. The signs were ominous from last Sunday when England’s youthful prop forwards emerged with credit and an edge over France.
Dan Cole has recovered from a quiet period to look a tighthead of notable presence. Whereas Cian Healy dominated at the scrum and set piece a year ago, here he was hanging on in the set piece. This made it impossible for him to make the sort of presence he did that day and does so often for Leinster in the loose.
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Not that broken field presence counted for much on a day when England performed on their terms. It started and ended with the scrum. Given the dominance it would have been bordering on the insane to run the ball around.
The penalty try and Ben Youngs’s try from a short range quick tap penalty were both brutal hammer blows emanating from the bullying scrum. It has been a long time since the set piece so dominated the story of the game. The front five were the headline-makers.
This was no day for the potential Hamlets to strut their stuff. Jonny Sexton was heavily handicapped by the persistent back-foot ball. The early arrival of Ronan O’Gara was less an indictment of him; more a realisation that Ireland had to play the positional game. In addition it appears that Gordon D’Arcy’s long career as a Test centre is reaching its final stages.
From an English perspective, Owen Farrell had every possible advantage behind the pack but his second-half performance in particular was mature. He did the simple things well and kept the screw turned on Ireland with his kicking.
Comparisons with Sexton are premature, especially on such uneven terms, but the composure of this kid suggests that the Lions Test shirt will not be a straightforward scrap between the Irishman and Rhys Preistland, who was exceptional in Cardiff.
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Another growing realisation for Ireland is that the Heineken Cup has helped the Irish provinces forge such strong identities but, well as it works at Heineken Cup level, the success comes with dangers for the national team.
Part Munster, part Leinster and a little bit Ulster; Declan Kidney has distinctive styles to call upon; so distinctive that any national identity fails to do anything more than occasionally break through.
Just as Champions League leaves football fans suspecting that the highest level of club football played by Barcelona exceeds the international game, so it appears that the individualism of each province makes it possible that Ireland are never going to be as good as either Leinster or Munster.
Even with a retreating scrum neither of these provinces would have capitulated like Ireland. If the weakness of the scrum was the obvious problem yesterday, the powers of the provinces may be a long-term concern.