Matt Dawson’s column: ‘I’ve never seen England charged like this’

It was a year after the 2003 Rugby World Cup, and I remember being in Australia at Twickenham.

After the Wallabies’ try, Martin Johnson had us all under the posts and wasn’t interested in taking the kick.

We were behind and all he cared about was winning ground in the next five minutes.

He made it clear that we have to be more aggressive in defence, stay in Australia’s 22 for as long as possible, and see if they can handle the pressure.

We had an excellent last 20 minutes and Ben Cohen scored a try to overcome the 31-19 deficit.

The reason we came back then in the World Cup final against Australia was because of what we had been through in previous years.

The more difficult it is for the current England team, the better. Coming back from 12-0 down to beat New Zealand could be the vital touchpoint they use in their journey to the next World Cup.

Maro Itoje, along with 30 other players, will remember what happens in different scenarios.

I watched Itoje walk down the tunnel with the referee at half-time, having a mature and informative conversation all the way back to the changing room.

Go back two or three years and Itoje isn’t doing that as a captain, but there’s something different about what he brings to the team.

It is very simple for him, it is much easier to follow leaders like these than to follow more obvious and rude leaders.

Sometimes these people do not have the ability to cover all the different characteristics. I can see how Itoje can adapt to his players.

When the final whistle blew on Saturday, Henry Pollock was leaping and jumping on Ben Earl’s back.

Itoje was just shaking hands, as you like, and Bullock ran up to him and they embraced.

It has been a struggle over how to celebrate a big win, but Itoje is able to adapt to his players.

Leadership in difficult moments makes the difference in the biggest Test matches. It’s about nailing those key decisions and moments.

George Ford’s decision to score back-to-back goals before half-time is your perfect example.

I’m amazed by this England team, as I’ve never seen England play like this before the World Cup.

I don’t think any English team has been this good in terms of strength, depth, leadership and individual ability to win games.

Overall, there is now a stark contrast between where England is and where it has been over the past decade.

Steve Borthwick had to develop himself as a Test coach, and that was always going to take time.