His face hurt when he spoke, the stitches and swelling around his left eye testament to the battle he had come through.
Nobody epitomised the courage of England’s epic win, nor their new spirit, better than Bevan Rodd.
The last time the nations met he was a teenager unable to watch the World Cup final as he was making his debut for amateur club Sale in National League One.
Two years on he was right in the thick of it, absorbing the power of a world champion front row in the ultimate challenge going for a 21-year-old prop.
“It’s like you’re a heavyweight boxer who boxes blokes outside the top 10 in the world, then you fight the champion,” said Eddie Jones. “It’s a different intensity.”
Rodd had excelled on his debut a week earlier after being thrown in at late notice but, as Joe Marler admitted, the adrenaline would have helped with that.
“The acid test,” said Marler, “was whoever we played the second weekend....can you back it up when you've had the whole week to think about it? Bev did it with ease.”
Five minutes in and the first scrum. The shove came on, South Africa went down and Rodd emerged blinking into the daylight alongside a beaming Kyle Sinckler.
“I knew the power they have but I was just excited for it,” he said. “Alex Corbisiero had given me a few tips on how to deal with people that are heavier.”
Rodd's 48-minute shift at the coal face was not all plain sailing. The Bok pack, inevitably, powered back into the contest.
But Marler, who came on to finish the job, said: “The youngsters dug deep and showed grit to stay in the fight rather than just giving up.
“It would have been easy to go 'oh Christ, this lot are pretty good'. Instead young boys just puffed out their chests and said 'let's give this a crack, we're still in this’.
“The days of youngsters being in a hierarchy and an environment that doesn't allow them to thrive and be themselves is long gone.”
FIVE THINGS WE’VE LEARNED
NOTHING WRONG WITH ENGLISH RUGBY’S PRODUCTION LINE
Raffi Quirke, Bevan Rodd, Jamie Blamire, Freddie Steward, Nic Dolly. Be honest a month ago you’d barely heard of them. Truthfully, weren’t you bemused when Eddie Jones jettisoned the Vunipola boys, Jamie George (briefly) and George Ford? Just goes to show the depth of quality coming out of the Prem.
IT’S GOING TO BE A HELL OF A WORLD CUP
Take away England in 2003 and no European nation has ever won the World Cup. Nine tournaments, eight southern hemisphere winners. What odds now after a month in which England, Ireland, France, Wales and Scotland have each taken scalps?
ENGLAND NO LONGER DEPEND ON OWEN FARRELL
It would be ridiculous to write off Owen Farrell, or Ford for that matter. But what the last three Twickenham weekends have shown is that England no longer rely on them. Marcus Smith and Henry Slade actually thrived with the added responsibility.
EDDIE JONES DESERVED TO SURVIVE ENGLAND’S SIX NATIONS FLOP?
Last but one in the Six Nations, England were embarrassed in spring and Jones was dragged over the coals. He survived and this autumn has vindicated the RFU’s faith. He has reinvented the team, blooded and backed youth. In turn they have repaid his belief.
INTERNATIONAL RUGBY AT ITS BEST TAKES SOME BEATING
It started with Ireland beating the All Blacks, continued with England’s last gasp defeat of South Africa and climaxed with France’s epic take-down of New Zealand on Saturday night. Dublin, Twickenham and Paris jumping to the beat of Test rugby, at its best a spectacle hard to beat.
