With only a 50 % win record one could be forgiven for wanting a little more from their team... However,I find myself more optimistic than normal about the state of English Rugby. And if one were to ask why, it's because this series has marked the move away from the conservative forward driven game we've become so entrenched in since the 2003 World Cup. Even with the sparse amount possession we had today, there was a real desire to run and find spaces as opposed to just safety first. And as a long suffering England supporter it brought me great joy, even if against South Africa they were few and far between. But who can forget the sheer poetry of the running rugby we played against Australia, which was the most enjoyable England game I've seen for 7 years.

But with the above in mind, I think I would much rather see us lose a few six nations games in the name of endeavour instead of us relying on one dimensional forward power. Because the essence of growth is when one falls down in pursuit of the new,exciting and more effective, because it's the only arena where we really learn.