How many times have you rocked up at Twickenham during the Six Nations in just a shirt and shorts, to see it bathed in sunshine with thousands of fans happy to be out in the open, sampling whatever entertainment is on offer? That will be almost never then. Leaving aside the benefits of better aligning the global season; Sunday showed it would be an infinitely more enjoyable experience for all concerned if the tournament moved to the end of the season.

Whatever significance attached to the game by players and coaches, the crowd could not be compelled to care as much as if points and prizes were at stake. The relative indifference to refereeing decisions that otherwise would have drawn frenzied denunciation from fans of both sides was ample testament.