End of the road for six of the best

TEN years ago, England finished their World Cup campaign with a 60-3 victory over Uruguay in Manchester. There was no consolation in victory as they had already been eliminated ahead of the knock-out stage in the tournament they were hosting.

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Six of the players involved that day have this season announced their retirements, along with a seventh who watched the match from the stand. That World Cup was the low point in their careers, but not five months later England won the Grand Slam, their first for 13 years, and all seven were involved in the tournament.

Alex Goode played a bit part role, on the bench for the first three matches and leaving it just once before losing his spot to Elliot Daly. The other six were involved on the final night in Paris and three of them scored their side’s tries that night.

Danny Care secured the first in a moment of opportunism that defined his long career. After picking up the ball at an unattended ruck 30 metres out he planted a hand off on prop Jefferson Poirot, who at the end of last weekend’s Champions Cup final took exception to Henry Pollock and found himself answering a charge of an act contrary to good sportsmanship, and gave England the lead.

The second try came from a more improbable source, tighthead prop Dan Cole. He scored four tries in his 118 matches for England and the one in Paris marked the start of a spree of three in 11 months as he powered through two tackles from six metres out.