Eddie O'Sullivan believes England are unquestionably favourites for the World Cup later this year after seeing his side overwhelmed in this afternoon's Grand Slam decider.
Ireland, with 10 wins on the bounce going into this afternoons showdown, conceded five tries - two from Will Greenwood and one each by Lawrence Dallaglio, Mike Tindall and Dan Luger - in losing 42-6 to an England team playing with formidable power and speed.
"They are the number one team in the world and they are right on top of their game," said O'Sullivan. "They defended very well and in the second-half they strangled us up front and struck at critical moments. Tindall's try especially was a stake in the heart.
"They have seen everyone off in the autumn and seen everyone off in the spring. With that sort of form over the year they must be favourites for the World Cup."
O'Sullivan admitted his side were beaten by the "better team" and conceded that Jonny Wilkinson, England's man-of-the-match fly-half, was "outstanding".
"We feel down and we are very disappointed," said O'Sullivan. "But if anyone had told me last August that we would play 11 matches and have won 10 I'd say that's not a bad run.
"We need to be crisper and have better lines of running and we need to be more clinical against the top teams. It was gut-wrenching stuff at the end but it has taken England a few years to get to this point. I told the lads to hold their heads high and stick out their chests because they can be proud of themselves."
Captain Brian O'Driscoll also paid tribute to a hugely impressive England performance.
"We gave everything we had and tried hard but they proved why they are the number one side in the world," said O'Driscoll. "It was end-to-end stuff and we were struggling at first with the tempo of the game. It was very fast, the quickest I've played in the Six Nations.
"Their scrambling defence was excellent. It is one of their great strengths and one of the best you'll come across. They get their big guys around the rucks and their fastest players out wide and their organisation is fantastic."