Well, England finally show some of the attacking potency their fans had been hoping for as they clinically dismissed the Irish at Twickenham.

Danny Cipriani will no doubt grab a lot of headlines with his faultless kicking display, but how did the rest of the England team fare?

Report: England 33-10 Ireland

I rated England, while my colleague Nabil Hassan rated the Irish team - here are our ratings for both sides:


ENGLAND: By James Standley

Iain Balshaw: Average but no more. When he dithered under an early high ball and gave away a penalty, it set the tone for a hesitant display. Never looked secure fielding long kicks, although he kicked from hand well enough, and was barely seen as an attacking force. 6

Paul Sackey: He dropped a high ball early on but refused to be bowed and was key to England's opening try. His surging, spinning break set it up and he also finished it off, suitable reward for a good all round display before going off with 15 minutes remaining. 7

Jamie Noon: You know what you're going to get with Noon - bosh, bosh and more bosh - and he did not disappoint in a storming defensive display. He even scored a try and could have had another after cutting a great line off the mercurial Cipriani. 8

Toby Flood: As ever he showed some lovely touches - one nice chip and re-gather stands out - but he failed to impose himself and really shape the game. When he made way for one J Wilkinson after an hour it brought the biggest cheer of the day. 6

Lesley Vainikolo: He trampled all over Ronan O'Gara early on, but that was about it. There were a couple of nice offloads in contact but as the game wore on his ball retention fell apart, and one shocking kick in his 22 was as poor an attempt ever seen on an international pitch. 5

Danny Cipriani: The first few minutes of his first start were superb - a raking long kick, a fine pass to put Easter through a gap, soaring to claim a high ball from the 6ft 8 in Simon Shaw - and it set the tone for an immensely assured display. Kicked impeccably from hand and off the deck, dangerous with ball in hand, and composed throughout. This kid is the future. 9

Richard Wigglesworth: Did well to recover from a heavy early blow which left him temporarily stunned. His service to Cipriani was crisp but the best part of his game was his marshalling of the forwards. 7

Andrew Sheridan: Quieter than in some games at the scrum, but he was a real presence defensively, hit rucks hard and enjoyed the occasional rumble with ball in hand. 7

Lee Mears: He is a pocket rocket around the fringes but struggled with his line-out throwing - he has a lot more work to do to make this shirt his own. 6

Phil Vickery: He was fired up and tried to impose himself physically, but his over-enthusiasm caused him to fall off a few tackles. Unable to dominate in the scrum but part of a hard-working effort by the tight five until he went off after an hour. 7

Simon Shaw: Time may be running out for the giant Wasp, but he is going out in style. He did not feature much in the line-out, but he was easily the most involved of the second rows around the park, even embarking on a 30-yard counter-attack at one point. 7

Steve Borthwick: Unable to get at the Irish line-out, his area of expertise, and unable to really make his mark in the other aspects of the game. 6

Tom Croft: He was England's most secure source of line-out ball and won plenty in the tail-gunner role. He had a couple of fine carries and one late surge showed just how rapid he is. 7

Michael Lipman: He was quick to the breakdown but did not earn much turnover ball. There were also a couple of very poor passes before he was taken off after 64 minutes. 6

Nick Easter: He was very influential in the early stages of both halves, both wide out and in the tighter areas of the game. He is immensely strong in contact and has fine hands for a big lump. 8

Replacements:

George Chuter: On for Mears after 74 - too little time to make his mark.

Matt Stevens: On for Vickery after 60, he played his part as the English pack tightened things up when the rain started to fall late on. 6

Ben Kay: On for Shaw 60, he grafted away in the tight but had little chance to make much of an impression. 6

James Haskell: On for Lipman 64 - too little time to make his mark.

Paul Hodgson: On for Wigglesworth after 73 - too little time to make his mark..

Jonny Wilkinson: On for Flood after 52 minutes but had little chance to shine in what was the Danny Cipriani show. 6

Mathew Tait: On for Sackey after 47 as a blood replacement, his first touch saw him caught in own 22, but he retained possession and soon scooted over for cracking try. Replaced Sackey permanently after 66 minutes. 7

IRELAND: By Nabil Hassan

Geordan Murphy: Had a full hand in Ireland's early try and showed some neat touches with the ball in hand. Was solid under the high ball but had to leave the field before half-time with what looked like a recurrence of his old Achilles injury. 7

Tommy Bowe: A quiet game from the Ulster wing. Had little chance to show his pace but managed to cope with the threat of Lesley Vainikolo. 6

Andrew Trimble: Took a massive hit from Noon early on but solid under the high ball. Looked lively with the ball in hand but was part of an Ireland midfield that allowed England to break through far too often. 6

Shane Horgan: A decent start but faded as the game went on and Toby Flood seemed to cope with his opposite number quite well. Could have done better with a poor tackle that allowed Jamie Noon to cross. 6

Robert Kearney: Great early try, gave his side a perfect start. Great block from an Easter pass prevented a certain try and looked a dangerous runner with ball in hand. 7

Ronan O'Gara: Kicked the points early on to compound England's poor start but missed with his third after the break. From 10 minutes onwards, O'Gara was massively in the shade of Danny Cipriani, who was outstanding. 6

Eoin Reddan: Wasn't his best game in a fledgling career but always looked to get Ireland moving forward and did the basics well. 6

Jamie Heaslip: Useful with the ball in hand and a solid target for Ireland at the line-out, he was one of Ireland better performers. 7

David Wallace: England's back row of Easter, Lipman and Croft were dominant in this game and he struggled to stamp his authority on the game. 7

Denis Leamy: Early casualty and little time to make his mark. 6

Paul O'Connell: Conceded a penalty to allow Cipriani his first points in Test rugby but carried the ball well early on. Still working his way back to full fitness and not a vintage performance from Ireland's talisman. 7

Donncha O'Callaghan: Not his usual assertive self and rarely got the opportunity to get his hands on the ball and break the gain line. 6

John Hayes: The Ireland scrum went well against England's feared front-row and he can take a lot of credit for that. 7

Rory Best: A decent performance if not outstanding. Consistent with his throwing and looked to go on the charge whenever he had the ball in hand. 7

Marcus Horan: Conceded early penalty for not binding properly but recovered after that and was part of a solid Ireland front-row. 7

Replacements:

Bernard Jackman: Late replacement and broke the gain line on a couple of occasions. 6

Mick O'Driscoll: Late replacement and came close to bundling over from close range late on. 6

Simon Easterby: On for Leamy after only 12 minutes and provided a useful target at the line-out. A whole-hearted display by the Llanelli Scarlets man. 7

Peter Stringer: Late replacement and as always looked lively. 6