All week, Steve Borthwick had been clear about how he wanted England to play in Cardiff.
The fate of the Six Nations title may have been out of their hands, but what wasn’t was how England approached a Wales team struggling after 16 defeats on the spin.
Borthwick demand his England side “play big”, urging them to attack with “bravery and speed on the ball”, and they answered his call.
Maro Itoje’s try inside three minutes set the tone and England did not take their foot off the gas after that. By half-time, they had scored five tries, secured the bonus point and led 33-7.
England finished the Test 68-14 winners, setting all manner of records in the process. It was a record defeat for Wales in Cardiff, the most points they've conceded in the capital and their heaviest Six Nations defeat. It was also the most points they have conceded against England.
Having started this Six Nations campaign under pressure, Borthwick finished it with a performance that showcased the rugby he wants England to play.
“The most important thing is the attitude with which we approach the game and the way we play,” said Borthwick on Wednesday. “We want them to play big. That’s what I want the team to do.”
Borthwick deserves credit and his bold team selection paid off, delivering the rugby England fans crave. There have been flashes of entertainment and attacking intent during this Six Nations, but nothing like this.
Wales, admittedly, helped England run riot. They were physically dominated and could not handle the pace of the game, either.
Fin Smith, whose star has risen astronomically during this Six Nations, was the star of the show in the first half and at the heart of everything.
No more so was that the case than for England’s second try, when he threw a huge miss pass for Tom Roebuck to go over in the corner.
A Ben Thomas try around the half-hour mark gave Wales hope and made the game 14-7, but it was short-lived. In the following 10 minutes, England scored three more tries.
Fin Smith, again, was pulling the strings. It was his pass that saw Tommy Freeman go over for a moment of history. No Englishman has ever scored in every game during a Six Nations campaign, but Freeman now has that record.
And he did so from centre, too. It was a bold call from Borthwick to move him there, but one that worked a treat.
Even Borthwick’s selection gamble on the bench paid off. With no lock cover, flanker Chandler Cunningham-South was forced to come on there after just 18 minutes because Ollie Chessum was injured.
Cunningham-South rose to the occasion, scoring England’s fourth try by powering over from close range. Minutes later, Will Stuart - on his 50th cap - had England’s fifth.
The only surprise was that Fin Smith missed the conversion. It appears he is human after all. Nevertheless, England had created their biggest half-time lead ever over Wales.
It felt like it was going to be a question of how many points England racked up as opposed to whether Wales could fight back.
The answer was 68, with another Thomas try the only time Wales troubled the scorers during a bruising second half. England, as they were in the first half, were clinical and their bench only saw their dominance grow.
Henry Pollock, on for his debut, has been tipped as a star of the future and it is easy to see why. Two tries helped him announce his arrival and this will not be the last we hear about the flanker.
By the time Cunningham South went over for his second try - and England’s 10th - in the final minutes, Wales’ players were dead on their feet. After a punishing and painful campaign for them, this was a hammer blow.
