Jonny May might have called it his best win in an England jersey but Eddie Jones insists there is more to come from this England team after their bonus-point success in Dublin.
Up against the Grand Slam champions, fresh from a win over New Zealand in the autumn, England faced a daunting prospect, but May put them ahead inside two minutes and from there they barely looked back in a 32-20 success.
Elliot Daly added a second try before the break, with Henry Slade adding two more in the second half to wrap up five points and leave England second in the Guinness Six Nations table, just behind Scotland on points difference.
Despite the margin of victory and the calibre of opposition – this was Ireland’s first home defeat in the Championship under Joe Schmidt – Jones was quick to play down its importance.
Instead, his focus immediately turned to France at Twickenham next week, with Les Bleus smarting from their loss to Wales on Friday night.
Jones said: “I know the next win will be better. That’s the only thing I know. We’re a team that is still growing, we’re nowhere near our best. We’re looking forward to playing better than that and we will.
“We aren’t going to get too far ahead of ourselves. We know France will be a difficult game. We’ll make sure we’re well prepared for them. We’ll have a short break and then rip back into it.”
It was an outstanding display from England, who dominated the contact area and forced Ireland back at every opportunity.
And Jones was clear that winning the physical battle was key to overcoming the side who had clinched the Grand Slam at Twickenham last March.
He added: “When you play against Ireland at home, you know it’s going to be a physical game so we came prepared for that and we knew we were going to have win that battle to win the game. Some games are immensely physical, some are more tactical.
“We probably shaded them a little bit in that area. We know they are a top team, they are well-coached and well-drilled but I thought our intensity, particularly in the first part of the game was outstanding.
“What I’m pleased for is our players, they deserve all the credit. They have worked hard, they have come together in the space of ten days and played a good game of rugby and made their country proud.”
