Six Nations: England stuck in transition as new side battles to emerge from the old

So much has happened, so little has changed.

As the trains groaned with waxed jackets and well-oiled voices, Saturday marked the end of a 721-day wait for a full-house Six Nations match at Twickenham.

Back in pre-lockdown days of March 2020, Wales had been the last visitors to play in front of a capacity crowd. Two years on, they were the first to do so again.

And the similarities were striking.

Once again, England streaked out into a lead. Once again Wales fought back. Once again Manu Tuilagi went missing.

The England centre's red card contributed to a chaotic final five minutes last time around. This time, his late injury absence brought an element of make do and mend to England's preparations.

In both 2020 and 2022, England won.

But on both occasions, there was no sense of true satisfaction.

Instead there is, once again, a lingering sense of a limbo. For England have been a difficult team to assess for much of the past two years. A team in transition, whose direction of travel is uncertain.

The side that forged its way to the Rugby World Cup final in 2019 before being out-foxed by South Africa has been picked apart.

Jamie George and George Ford now ride the pine among the replacements, Billy and Mako Vunipola have been cast out. Anthony Watson and Owen Farrell are in the physio room and out of contention.

New faces have emerged. Against Wales, fly-half Marcus Smith's stepping, darting, swaggering game burst through at the right times. Harry Randall buzzed with early energy at scrum-half. Number eight Alex Dombrandt crashed about with an appetite for destruction.

The cameos have been promising. Whether it adds up to a convincing ensemble is still not clear.

The shape of this new England is yet to fully emerge from the old.

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