‘I have not seen that complete an England performance for years’

In his BBB Sport column, World Cup winner Matt Dawson reflects on England’s huge Six Nations win over Wales, their Six Nations campaign and why Maro Itoje is a Lions captain in waiting.

For the first time in a long time, England produced a complete performance against Wales.

Absolutely brutal were the opening 10 minutes of Cardiff’s 68-14 victory. It was very precise and quick.

Despite having the ability to completely defuse Wales, the system they put together was machine-like.

England intentionally avoided ball competition defensively by placing no players in the rucks.

They simply spelled “we are backing our one-on-one defence with our physicality and you will not break us down,” and they had a white wall.

Compared to wasting energy trying to compete at every breakdown, how many times did they attempt to turn things around and get them to finish them was very high.

England was inviting them to keep coming, while Wales was expending a lot of energy.

A classic Muhammed Ali rope-a-dope was present. Wales made a mistake before nicking the ball while England patiently absorbed it all.

Wales was just getting too isolated, and they were unable to alter their game plan. They punched themselves out rather than making an effort to pick and cross the middle.

When England were 14-0 up and Wales had a try disallowed, Maro Itoje and the leaders exchanged a bit of a telling-off, and they were then pretty much faultless and resumed being patient.

The handling, picking and choosing when to pick and go and finding overlaps were all carried out to a high standard. The back row’s speed and the benefits of some of the moves in the short lineout were also at play.

You were aware that Wales would not be able to put one foot in front of the other in ten minutes. They provided everything and avoided making many errors, but they simply lacked the workforce.

It was by far the best England performance since Borthwick, and it might inspire further action for some of their players as they prepare to join the British and Irish Lions’ summer tour of Australia.

Look at the effects that had on the Welsh teenagers who died in 2013. They gained a lot of confidence for the rest of their careers as a result.

Itoje has been one of England’s top artists. He is 30 years old and has won 93 caps, but he still plays as he did when he first started playing. He is the man of the match every game.

The armband gives elite players superhuman strength when they wear it. Itoje’s performance is shouting from the rooftops, if anything Itoje has become a little quieter.

He doesn’t give away as many penalties because he is much more disciplined. Less gesticulating occurs. He used to be very expressive and cheer up, but everything he does now has an absolute killer instinct.

He should be the Lions’ captain, it is crying out. He has two tours under his belt and is a staple member of that test team.

Caelan Doris from Ireland is another candidate, but the Lions will face a fierce back row battle, while Itoje will play all day long in the second row.

Fin Smith, on the other hand, has made himself the number 10 in England.

I am aware that some current and former players have expressed bias against Marcus Smith, primarily due to the clubs they play for.

However, everyone can see the facts, and you must possess a fly-half with control and the ability to make everything appear simple at Test level. Fin Smith’s passing was excellent, but I must say that he was outstanding for his touchline kick.

He was making England 40 or 50 metres every time they scored a penalty. Fin Smith kicks it five meters from the touchline, and those margins make a huge difference. They had a few early penalties, and I thought they should take the three points.

Add to that his distribution and calmness, as well as his ability to identify and make the best calls. When he came on, George Ford did the same and scurried around. Wales was circling everything.

The tournament’s best team was France. They will take winning the championship after a few dodgy moments against England, which cost them a Grand Slam.

Everyone has recovered from the post-World Cup sulk and is now gearing up for the 2027 challenge.

Scotland resembles Everton, my favorite football team.

You as a fan anticipates the possibility of joining Europe each season. No, we are not a mid-table team. Maybe it will change in ten years.

Scotland are a fantastic team that can do some incredible things, but they simply don’t have the squad to compete against a number of elite teams over a longer period of time.

With the coaching adjustments and a few injuries, Ireland struggled, and they might have been a little duped by their second half performance against England.

I don’t want to say that they are on the decline, but they are not quite the Ireland that they once were with that entire Leinster contingent. Ireland will be a threat in the upcoming World Cup because they still have some excellent players and Andy Farrell is returning as head coach.

Wales could not have offered more, but they lack the necessary resources to compete at this level, which is why they have lost 17 games in a row.

On May 8, the Lions’ head coach Farrell will announce his squad, but here is my team: