England’s riot club focus on fine-tuning after walloping Wales

Whether it was a deliberate, pointed pick, we’ll never know.

But as Wales’ replacements jogged out ahead of their team for the start of the second half, the Allianz Stadium DJ launched into the Kaiser Chiefs’ noughties shout-a-along I Predict a Riot.

At 29-0 up, it wasn’t the boldest forecast.

And in the end, Wales showed enough fight and quality to prevent England vandalising their national pride as they did in Cardiff last March.

But, by any measure, England’s 48-7 win was a walloping.

Ball in hand, they made nearly twice the metres of the visitors.

Wales were spinning like tops in defence, chasing back after 16 line-breaks. The visitors made only six in the opposite direction.

England had almost 60% of territory. By 25 minutes in, Wales had a decimal point of hope. At best.

Afterwards, England head coach Steve Borthwick thought the scoreline stat should have been even more lopsided in England’s favour.

“I thought we defended exceptionally well, we kicked really well and we scored some nice tries, but I think we left a lot out there on the grass.,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“We’ll review this game and say there’s a load of things we could do a lot better. Those are the things we need to step up next week.

“Second half we were in the 22 a lot but didn’t come away with points on as many occasions as we’d have liked.”

Ultimately, England made enough stick to the scoreboard to sit atop the Six Nations table after round one.

More interesting than the early-stage standings to Borthwick will be the lessons, albeit limited and caveated by the quality of the opposition, that he can take.

Henry Arundell, all low-slung power and top-end speed, inevitably took the headlines after helping himself to a first-half hat-trick.

The 23-year-old, who, as a teenager, scored a try with his first touch of the ball in the Test game, has a sky-high international strike-rate.

In 12 Tests, he has 11 tries.

That stat is inflated by his five against Chile in the last Rugby World Cup, as well as Saturday’s work, but his ability to turn a half-break into a full five points is precious.

When Fraser Dingwall scooped up and shovelled the ball to him for England’s fourth try of the afternoon, the cover was instantly blow-torched.

Arundell’s improvement under the high ball this season – most notably in Bath’s win over Saracens opposite Noah Caluori – and defence, are qualities that have been coached into him. His fast-twitch physicality, though, is an ability beyond anyone’s gift.

Ollie Chessum is unlikely to see his name up in the same lights, but, with Maro Itoje starting the game on the bench, the second row filled any void with a performance containing more lungs and heart than a matchday burger.

Ben Earl has made excellence his everyday. For someone who is not a natural number eight, he is also up there as the world’s best in the position.

The 28-year-old, who has played more of his rugby at open-side flanker, made 17 carries and 78 metres, while also finishing joint top of the tackle stats with Guy Pepper and nicking a turnover.

Henry Pollock’s energy makes him an ideal and wildly popular second-half introduction. Would his pace and breakdown poaching ability be as effective from the start? After six appearances off the bench, might Borthwick be tempted to find out?

The most intriguing issue, though, as England roll on towards Edinburgh is Tommy Freeman.

He had a fine game in many ways, a physical, pacy presence at outside centre, who dovetailed predictably well with Northampton team-mate Dingwall. He was England’s leading metre-maker by a distance.

Freeman’s superb aerial ability is less useful in midfield, while his head-down finishing ability came to the fore best when he was shifted back to the wing late on, pinballing through tackles as he dunked down England’s seventh and final try.

His midfield move, started a year ago, was prompted by a lack of other options.

Now, with Ollie Lawrence back from an Achilles tendon tear, Dingwall impressing again at 12, Max Ojomoh and Seb Atkinson in the equation and Joe Marchant and Benhard Janse van Rensburg approaching eligibility, the centre cupboard looks less bare.

Sometimes courage is needed to see a plan though. Conversely, sometimes wisdom is needed to know when to change one.

Freeman’s centre role feels like one to preserve with for now, but not blindly.