Nobody had any appetite for platitudes this time. By the time the on-pitch announcer started trilling about “how deep the boys dug out there”, thousands had vacated their seats, sick of hearing England’s witlessness being excused to the tune of £159 a ticket.

Here are the alarming stats that show the recent struggles of Steve Borthwick’s side. In this calendar year, England are four wins from 10, with the only victories coming against Wales, Italy, Ireland and Japan.

England fans have blamed Steve Borthwick after The Red Roses crashed to a dramatic 42-37 defeat to Australia on Saturday afternoon. The hosts looked as though they would win the clase when Maro Itoje went over late on,