Yesterday came and went in the blink of an eye for the English rugby team. What promised to be a glorious indication of Stuart Lancaster's progress as the head coach, ended up being a nightmare and a shot in the arm for the realist.
When it all boils down to it, Wales were by far and beyond the better team. There has been some arguments that England's number one fan Steve Walsh, reffed the men in white out of the game but in truth this is only a veil for the battered pride of the once impregnable England front row. And what about the domination in the backline? There is no way you can put that down to the man in the middle.
Truth be told there were two defining differences between the English and the Welsh yesterday. The first being motivation. It was all too clear from the word go that the home side were fired up for this game. Don't forget, after a humbling defeat against the Irish, they had a point to prove as a unit.
When they lost that day, and throughout their awful run through the winter, we heard how it was down to the injuries and that things would be different when their star players returned. For Wales they had to beat the English just to prove this point alone.
Secondly, and probably the biggest difference between the two sides is experience. Since the final whistle was blown I have seen a lot of Welsh people miss the point with the English effort by calling the useless and soft. Bragging rights can and always will cloud the brain and provide disorientated judgments.
The fact of the matter is England are still a young and developing rugby side, whereas a full strength Wales team are a side who have got into the habit of winning big games in the Northern Hemisphere. That experience told in what was a comprehensive and at times dazzling display of Welsh dominance that England could not compete with.
So what should be the conclusions that are taken this tournament? Forget who should go on the Lions tour, those questions will answer themselves nearer the time. For Wales the conclusion is that they are at this time, and by some distance, the best side in the northern hemisphere. The challenge for Howley and the imminently returning Gatland is now to move forward with this and progress on the World scene.
When they next match up against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa next they must be looking to win and affirm their place at the top table of the game. If they don't it will be the biggest waste of potential the sport has seen since New Zealand throughout the 90's and early 2000's.
For England the conclusion is not as bleak as our welsh friends are writing it to be. The positives are that we won 4 on the bounce without perhaps ever really playing that well. Yesterdays defeat must be treated as a lesson. The sort of lesson that even Sir Clive Woodward had to overcome on his way to leading his side to World Cup glory.
They are starting to formulate a skeleton to work around and as they play more games against top quality opposition, more results like the win over New Zealand in the autumn will follow.
But we must do something about our struggling back three. Ashton has to be dropped for him to rekindle his form, Wade and Varndell need opportunities to assess whether or not they can produce their club form at international level.
More importantly, England need to remember that the whole point of Lancaster's mission is to build for 2015. With two years to go, we are progressing, getting stronger and learning lessons both good and harsh. All of this will put us in good stead moving forward and next year England should be targeting revenge and the ending of their Welsh hoodoo and in due course the taking of the Six Nations crown.
These mission statements alone show the difference. Wales are chasing progress to catch the South Africans, Australians and New Zealanders, whilst England are chasing the Welsh. It will be interesting to see, this time next year, who has achieved their objectives.
When it all boils down to it, Wales were by far and beyond the better team. There has been some arguments that England's number one fan Steve Walsh, reffed the men in white out of the game but in truth this is only a veil for the battered pride of the once impregnable England front row. And what about the domination in the backline? There is no way you can put that down to the man in the middle.
Truth be told there were two defining differences between the English and the Welsh yesterday. The first being motivation. It was all too clear from the word go that the home side were fired up for this game. Don't forget, after a humbling defeat against the Irish, they had a point to prove as a unit.
When they lost that day, and throughout their awful run through the winter, we heard how it was down to the injuries and that things would be different when their star players returned. For Wales they had to beat the English just to prove this point alone.
Secondly, and probably the biggest difference between the two sides is experience. Since the final whistle was blown I have seen a lot of Welsh people miss the point with the English effort by calling the useless and soft. Bragging rights can and always will cloud the brain and provide disorientated judgments.
The fact of the matter is England are still a young and developing rugby side, whereas a full strength Wales team are a side who have got into the habit of winning big games in the Northern Hemisphere. That experience told in what was a comprehensive and at times dazzling display of Welsh dominance that England could not compete with.
So what should be the conclusions that are taken this tournament? Forget who should go on the Lions tour, those questions will answer themselves nearer the time. For Wales the conclusion is that they are at this time, and by some distance, the best side in the northern hemisphere. The challenge for Howley and the imminently returning Gatland is now to move forward with this and progress on the World scene.
When they next match up against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa next they must be looking to win and affirm their place at the top table of the game. If they don't it will be the biggest waste of potential the sport has seen since New Zealand throughout the 90's and early 2000's.
For England the conclusion is not as bleak as our welsh friends are writing it to be. The positives are that we won 4 on the bounce without perhaps ever really playing that well. Yesterdays defeat must be treated as a lesson. The sort of lesson that even Sir Clive Woodward had to overcome on his way to leading his side to World Cup glory.
They are starting to formulate a skeleton to work around and as they play more games against top quality opposition, more results like the win over New Zealand in the autumn will follow.
But we must do something about our struggling back three. Ashton has to be dropped for him to rekindle his form, Wade and Varndell need opportunities to assess whether or not they can produce their club form at international level.
More importantly, England need to remember that the whole point of Lancaster's mission is to build for 2015. With two years to go, we are progressing, getting stronger and learning lessons both good and harsh. All of this will put us in good stead moving forward and next year England should be targeting revenge and the ending of their Welsh hoodoo and in due course the taking of the Six Nations crown.
These mission statements alone show the difference. Wales are chasing progress to catch the South Africans, Australians and New Zealanders, whilst England are chasing the Welsh. It will be interesting to see, this time next year, who has achieved their objectives.
