Move any mountain England's upwardly mobile trek towards rugby's Everest hits new heights

After finally scaling Mount Everest with Tenzing Norgay on 29 May 1953 the first person Edmund Hillary encountered on his descent was his longtime climbing friend, George Lowe.

- Robert Kitson

"Well, George," Hillary said, "we knocked the bastard off.

Which is basically how England's captain, Maro Itoje, and his team felt on Saturday having lifted the Hillary Shield, named in honour of the New Zealander who conquered the famous summit.

English rugby's ultimate Everest is still ahead, of course, in the form of the 2027 World Cup, but this was their South Col moment. And while a first home win against the All Blacks since 2012 and their second-highest margin of victory in this 120-year-old fixture will be sources of satisfaction there was also a powerful sense their trek is far from complete.

We shall return in a moment to the dark flip side of that proposition - that New Zealand are edging dangerously close to unprecedented mediocrity - and South Africa still stand head and shoulders above everyone else. But listening to Itoje on Saturday night was to sense all involved with England are genuinely excited to find out just how much higher they can go.

Their optimism is not simply fuelled by 10 wins on the spin, nor the coming of age of outstanding young prospects such as Guy Pepper, Henry Pollock and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. Rather it is the depth of belief that England are beginning to build, their growing composure regardless of situation or opposition and the leadership example that is now revealing itself.