While Vunipola will never be a Kieran Read-style marauder he is a force of nature who feels an enhanced sense of freedom under Jones.
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“There is a lot of kicking the ball out of the ruck and I just think it’s probably something that the lawmakers or the officials have to have a bit of a look at just regarding player safety – particularly with the head and particularly the eyes as it was in this incident”, said Ireland coach Joe Schmidt.
“I’ll worry about the Grand Slam when the whistle has gone after the final game, but we’re in a good place, there’s no denying that”.
For all their playing resources and financial muscle, England have not been crowned Six Nations champions since 2011, with their last grand slam coming in their World Cup-winning year of 2003.
There must be a chance he will rescind his Trappist vows but his interview-room hissy fit – “If I say something now you just criticise it” – was a pity, distracting attention away from the good work he and his coaches have done in refocusing players’ minds and getting them physically sharper.
“This is one of the biggest sporting stories of the winter and for England not to have their main man, and one of the most entertaining characters in rugby, spearheading all that is a nonsense”.
“Our alignment was so much better with the speed of the ball”.
“That’s my vision of George”. His great skill is to be able to take the ball, go to the line and then deliver the right pass and we saw signs of that. He was lovely, mate, poetry in motion.
But with Wales, whose coach Warren Gatland is renowned for pre-match mind games, England’s next opponents, Jones said: “I’m putting a self-imposed media ban on myself before the Wales game”.
During a feisty exchange with journalists after Ireland had been comprehensively beaten in the most impressive display of his brief reign, Jones defended his claim that Sexton’s parents “would be worried” about the whiplash injury he suffered against France.
“They’re the fine margins because I think they were two teams that were easily matched in a number of ways”, he said. “They are changing themselves”. I’m doing okay so, hopefully, I’ll keep that up and not disappoint him. They face what looks set to be a tournament-decider against Wales in their next match against, before finishing in Paris against the French.
“I guess the only thing I’d say is don’t lose faith that we won’t keep building”. For England, love them or hate them, everything is still possible.
M Brown (Harlequins); A Watson (Bath), J Joseph (Bath), O Farrell (Saracens), J Nowell (Exeter); G Ford (Bath), B Youngs (Leicester); J Marler (Harlequins), D Hartley (Northampton, capt), D Cole (Leicester), M Itoje (Saracens), G Kruis (Saracens), C Robshaw (Harlequins), J Haskell (Wasps), B Vunipola (Saracens).
Scorers: England: Tries: Watson, Brown.
Sin-bin Haskell 45, Care 71.
Ireland: Kearney; Trimble, Henshaw, McCloskey (Zebo 64), Earls; Sexton (Madigan 77), Murray (Reddan 71); McGrath (Healy 60), Best (Strauss 71), Ross (White 60), Ryan (Dillane 64), Toner, Stander (Ruddock 67), van der Flier, Heaslip.
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Referee R Poite (Fr).
