Fielding Farrell and Ford was inspired call by Eddie

IHAVE not seen a performance of that authority and dominance against the best side in the world for a long, long time. England blew New Zealand away.

When Eddie Jones made the call to pick both George Ford and Owen Farrell to kick the leather off the ball it was always going to be about how well they could dominate the territory. They were phenomenal. England just sat on New Zealand and the All Blacks had no answer.

England left the All Blacks 22 without any points on a few occasions and I thought that might come back to haunt them. We know how good the All Blacks are at exiting their own half and, eventually, they sting you.

But England never gave them a chance. Their kicking game stressed New Zealand. It suffocated them. Beauden Barrett is not a natural 15. He always wants to run it out. Aaron Smith did not kick very well. Everything was played in the All Blacks’ half.

To be fair, you have to credit the New Zealand defence. Put any other team under that pressure and it would probably have been a 40-point win. And England even had two tries chalked off.

England’s defence was even more impressive. Going with Ford and Farrell meant that New Zealand could possibly exploit a lack of physicality in midfield but because England’s energy was off the charts it meant they always had lots of defenders to cover any problem areas.

It was as close to the perfect game as possible. Yes, England threw them the ball for their try but if you take that away, they never had a sniff. Without that gift, they would have been nilled. No penalties to kick, no setpieces, no scoring chances. All because England dominated the territory.

Even with the mistake, I thought the England lineout was excellent. New Zealand went with four jumpers against Courtney Lawes and Maro Itoje. Hats off to Jamie George for his throwing too.

It was as good a display, considering the opposition and the magnitude of the game, as I have ever seen. One of the greatest ever. It really bodes well for the final.

If Farrell is fit, Jones will surely go with the kicking duo again in the final, especially if they play South Africa. Their back three will not be as good under the high ball as Wales.

The England lads will be in an odd state now. They will be euphoric but also know there is one more game. I know from experience that sleeping is the hardest thing. You’ve got a week to think about it all. I was 21 when I played in the World Cup final and I was constantly imagining what impact I could make, what could go wrong.

It is just about the process now. There is no need for a Churchillian speech. You just need to look around the room. Emotions will be up there. This is the chance of a lifetime. Manage the process and they can be world champions.