CARDIFF : Steve Borthwick has never been a man to deliver dramatic post-match verdicts, either as England's captain or coach, but he must have been fighting the urge to punch the air after his team's 68-14 Six Nations thrashing of Wales on Saturday.

Instead, after a record-breaking 10-try demolition job that guaranteed England will finish in the top two for the first time since winning the title in 2020, he delivered the same poker-faced analysis he trotted out during his side's dispiriting run of defeats over the last year.

"The team's been progressing. It's a young and evolving team and we challenged them to go out and play with this attitude. We wanted to play big and they did exactly that," Borthwick told reporters.

"There were so many England fans there and they were so loud, probably the loudest I've ever heard them in Cardiff, so I'm delighted for them to have plenty to cheer about."

Borthwick made the same noises as England were repeatedly on the wrong side of results last year but having beaten France, Scotland, Italy and Wales his "just wait, we're getting there" message is starting to have a ring of truth about it.

Maro Itoje, who has won four of his five games as captain and got things moving with a third-minute try on Saturday, took a similar stance.

"We've been building towards this and in each game we've shown a different side of us and we're just happy to finish it well," he said.

"The thing about consistency is that you have to be consistent even when results aren't going your way. I applaud the team because even when results weren't and we were getting outside noise, we kept being consistent.

"The challenge for our team is to continue to grow and get better. Whether we get praise or scrutiny, it doesn't matter, let's just stay consistent."

Man-of-the-match England flanker Ben Curry said: "This team has been through a lot, I'm really happy for everyone involved.

"It's an unbelievable feeling to be able to give that to not just ourselves, each other but to the fans as well. This is what you dream of. I haven't had too many opportunities in the last two years, but I've loved coming into camp, I've loved this team."

Curry also praised Henry Pollock, the 20-year-old flanker who came off the bench to score two tries in a memorable debut.

"He's a great player, a great lad," he said of the Northampton tyro. "I've loved the energy he's brought the last few weeks, he's going to be gre...