England win Six Nations Grand Slam: Paul Grayson - It’s Eddie Jones who won this tournament

England claim the spoils, but it was the influence of the new head coach that proved the difference

England head coach Eddie Jones (Getty Images)

In contrast to last year’s final-day shenanigans and the unfeasibly false dawn it purveyed, this edition of the Six Nations reached its denouement with us in the rather odd position of already knowing who had won.

It is completely obvious to anyone with even a passing interest in the championship that Eddie Jones won it. His every move, from subtly leaking his choice of captain to the press to banning himself from the media for talking too much, has been a joy to behold.

He first installed Scotland as red hot favourites for the Calcutta Cup on the back of their World Cup success and heartache, thereby making his assertion that all England wanted was a win totally valid. He then told Italy that England were going to give them a hammering and though it was not pretty they duly did.

Ireland were next and Eddie “Stoked” the fires by comparing them and their tactics to Tony Pulis’s former club.

Then it was on to Wales. Not only did he win the traditional to and fro before the game, citing Wales’s scrummage as “terribly, terribly illegal”, he utterly dominated the exchanges in the wake of “gypsy-gate” with a simple “they don’t know if they are Arthur or Martha”, which left Wales arguing among themselves. Brilliant.

And so to Paris with words designed to hammer home the reality of France’s situation. We are fitter and better prepared than you and we challenge you to try and stop us because we only really value a Grand Slam.

Ballsy and brash, but at the same time stating the obvious. He has simultaneously put one type of pressure on the opposition while at the same time heaping the right sort on to his players to do nothing more than perform to the very best of their ability.

England may not have hit their absolute best in Paris but the influence the coach had on the game was obvious.

Billy Vunipola came off at half-time and then Danny Care was withdrawn four minutes into the second half after an errant kick. And Jones had the composure to only use four of his bench to make sure as much experience was on the pitch as possible.

Dylan Hartley being knocked cold in the latter stages was a cruel blow for a player who has withstood the forensic glare of the media to lead his troops to glory, but in typical fashion the skipper emerged from the tunnel to take the trophy and complete a remarkable story.

The game itself ebbed and flowed and was at times brilliant, at times indicative of the teams on display. But for England to recover from where they were just months ago to win the Grand Slam is testament to the outstanding impact of Jones.

Scotland are on the up

Sometimes the Six Nations fixture schedule can be your enemy, with three away games and only two at home, and sometimes it can be your friend. Scotland’s friendly fixture list had nothing to do with home or away but more to do with who they played when they had an absolute must-win game. Italy away was according to some the biggest game in Scotland’s history, which it wasn’t at all, but it was the biggest game of Vern Cotter’s tenure as coach.

Having built up their credibility in the World Cup, Scotland were desperate to prove it wasn’t a flash in the pan and they duly dispatched Italy.

Scotland are on the up and whilst their playing resources will always be a challenge for them, their performance in Dublin will mean nobody taking anything for granted against them. Frantic, brave, brilliant, reckless, skilful and at times downright dull, they were at least great to watch.