In the face of prior criticism, Owen Farrell justified his position as the preferred choice over George Ford at fly-half with a stellar performance in Sunday’s 30-24 triumph against Fiji.
He earned the man-of-the-match title, sealing the victory with a pivotal drop-goal and penalty, contributing a total of 20 points.
Richard Wigglesworth, the attack coach, believes that the captain’s contributions often go unrecognised.
“We are lucky to have Owen. As ever, the tallest trees catch the most wind and he seems to catch a fair bit of it,” Wigglesworth said.
“He’s proven time and time and time again and I don’t understand why in England we feel the need to not celebrate that, not enjoy it, just because he’s not sat in front of social media or the media lapping all that up.
“He is incredibly serious about his career, he is an incredibly proud Englishman. He affects any team he is in and he was brilliant for us – as we knew he would be.
“That was the maddening part of any noise. We knew what was coming from him.”
Meanwhile, two England supporters were ejected from the Stade Velodrome following a fight in the stands.
Footage on social media appeared to show one group of fans tussling with another dressed as Admiral Nelson with one supporter thrown down multiple rows of seats.
No arrests were made.
A statement from World Rugby read: “Following an isolated incident in the stadium, security acted swiftly to eject two fans from the stadium. No further complaints were filed.”
Five players who underperformed in the World Cup quarter-finals
We take a look at five players who failed to perform in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
#1. Andrew Porter (Ireland)
Irish Independent 5/10: “Pinged twice in the opening minutes, once at the breakdown and once in the scrum. Indeed, he drew the whistle from Wayne Barnes in two of the game’s first three scrums. Running dialogue with the ref but seemed frustrated throughout.”
Planet Rugby 3/10: “His illegalities at the scrum finally caught up with him as Wayne Barnes continually penalised Porter for not driving straight. However, it was his needless infringement in the opening minute which set the tone.”
RUCK 5/10: “Penalised in an early scrum, as his hips were too wide in the pack. A big hit on Will Jordan on the 20th phase, as Ireland defended strong. Couldn’t support Doris in time for his carry, as the number eight was isolated, and Porter couldn’t stop Savea’s turnover. Penalised twice more in the scrum for the same offence, in a performance he would want to forget in the pack. “