Normal service will be resumed in Twickenham's bars today following the lifting of the post-match drinking ban at last month's Ireland game and for England, sitting comfortably astride the Six Nations championship table, the same again would do very nicely, thank you.
The spontaneous outpouring of English joy which followed the contrasting wins over the Irish and French, despite the best efforts of Richmond's magistrates and the local police, have engendered a feel-good factor unprecedented in Clive Woodward's tenure as coach. Unless Wales are careful, it is not hard to imagine this afternoon having more in common with the 1998 fixture than last year's extravaganza at Wembley.
It was the 60-26 blitz at Twickenham two years ago which helped encourage Woodward to believe he was on the verge of something special and last year's 32-31 reverse which denied him it. There is a theory that, had Scott Gibbs not scored that try, England would have been a different side at the World Cup. The truth is there are only eight white-shirted survivors from last April, with just six in the same positions, plus a new captain. It has not so much been a case of arrested development as a few young thrusters shaking up the class of 1999. Gibbs revealed this week that complete strangers are still thanking him for his Wembley efforts, not least a housewife from Kilmarnock who wrote to say she had never previously seen her husband cry in 22 years of marriage. As far as Woodward is concerned, though, a blank page of history awaits both teams today.
"We're concentrating on what we can control, not what happened a year ago," the coach insisted yesterday. "We've won two games of rugby and it can all go pear-shaped.
"The lessons have been learnt and our wisdom has improved. From that setback we've probably become a better team."
The only aspect of the Wembley occasion he has chosen to revisit has been the penalty count which allowed Neil Jenkins to erect the platform for Gibbs's late thrust.
"Obviously we've spoken about discipline," said Woodward. "I certainly don't want to be in the dressing-room at half-time like last time with 18 points on the board for Wales from six penalties."
Two decades on from the infamous Paul Ringer match in 1980, England have different priorities, notably to run opponents off their feet. Pace has been Wales's single biggest collective problem since Graham Henry's initial magic potion began to wear off, but they did score 47 points against Italy last time out and their scrummaging against France caught the eye of their English opposite numbers.
"The French scrum's always been big but I thought the Welsh matched them when they played them," claimed Phil Vickery, who has consulted that past master of front row mischief, Jeff Probyn, this week ahead of his head-to-head with Peter Rogers.
The Cornishman has also been attracting some interest in his Raging Bull personal website but worldwide respect is still what England really crave.
Woodward, meanwhile, insists: "You can only talk about Grand Slams when you get to the last game unbeaten." England are not there yet, but their cup should overfloweth again today, possibly by as many as 20 points.
ENGLAND: M Perry (Bath); A Healey (Leicester), M Tindall (Bath), M Catt (Bath), B Cohen (Northampton); J Wilkinson (Newcastle), M Dawson (Northampton, capt); J Leonard (Harlequins), P Greening (Sale), P Vickery (Gloucester), G Archer (Bristol), S Shaw (Wasps), R Hill (Saracens), N Back (Leicester), L Dallaglio (Wasps). Replacements: N McCarthy (Gloucester), T Woodman (Gloucester), J Worsley (Wasps), M Corry (Leicester), A Gomarsall (Bedford), A King (Wasps), I Balshaw (Bath).
WALES: S Howarth (Newport); G Thomas (Cardiff), A Bateman (Northampton), M Taylor (Swansea), S Williams (Neath); N Jenkins (Cardiff), R Howley (Cardiff); P Rogers (Newport), G Jenkins (Swansea), D Young (Cardiff, capt), C Quinnell (Cardiff), C Wyatt (Llanelli), C Charvis (Swansea), B Sinkinson (Neath), S Quinnell (Llanelli). Replacements: B Williams (Bristol), S John (Cardiff), I Gough (Pontypridd), M Williams (Cardiff), R Smith (Ebbw Vale), M Cardey (Llanelli), S Jones (Llanelli).
Referee: Jim Fleming (Scotland).
