When the Johnno brouhaha gave way to Jonny bravura

Sunshine boy dispels the clouds over his captain if only for a day

Six Nations

Wilkinson flies to the new world

Match analysis: Wilkinson frees the spirit of England

When the Johnno brouhaha gave way to Jonny bravura

Pilgrims from Emerald Isle left green with envy

Pride in defeat for Welsh warriors

Jonathan Davies: Video men fail to see full picture

Laney leads from the back for Scotland

The colossal figure of Martin Johnson disappeared down the Twickenham tunnel after an hour. The sunlight silhouetted the departure which was greeted by polite rather than overwhelming applause. The England captain could justifiably have pointed to the scoreboard, which read England 45 Ireland 11, but he has had enough controversy for one week, had a stomach full of the moral absolutes hurled at him from the safety of the touchline. So he simply kept walking.

Though their captain had a quiet match, unsurpisingly given his brooding presence beneath rugby's guillotine, his team – and they are his team – mounted an emphatic defence of their leader on the field yesterday. Ireland, regarded by many good judges as the most significant threat to that elusive Grand Slam, were simply torn to shreds by the pace and coherence of England's rugby in the first half. In years to come, they will swear 15 white ghosts flitted across the grass that afternoon at Twickenham. Chasing shadows were about as near as they came to a meaningful engagement. Clive Woodward, never one to bypass an understatement, reckoned it was the best rugby he had seen at Twickenham. "Anywhere, for that matter," he added. For once, this was no exaggeration.

Johnson will meet his nemesis in the form of the Rugby Football Union's disciplinary committee at Bristol on Thursday. Nothing that happened yesterday should shield him from the proper prosecution of justice, but by half-time all talk had been diverted to more positive issues. Taken in isolation, which is as it should be, England fashioned one of the great halves of running rugby, one designed to mock the extraordinary demand made in the morning newspapers by Will Carling. The former England captain had called for more adventure from England, which was a bit rich coming from the leader of a team capable of boring for the universe. Woodward, hardly a fan of old farts holding forth, could simply have pinned the offending article on to the noticeboard of the England dressing room. Team talk done.

But the response of his side was more impressive than even he could have imagined. England under Carling could never have put together a half of such coruscating brilliance as England did yesterday. In 13 minutes, they ran Ireland – pretty well the same Ireland who had spoilt the party in Dublin last autumn – ragged with three tries which varied from merely brilliant to the utterly breathtaking.

The second, a move from left to right which began midway in their own half and ended on the opposite side of the field, was worth the £600 per pair of tickets being flogged down Twickenham High Street before kick-off. It matched anything conjured up by the French down the years, anything which the museum could summon from the archives. Woodward, who had come from the stands after the first try, punched the air and turned to the crowd, seeking acknowledgment not of himself but for his team.

It was far from a one-man show, but such was Jonny Wilkinson's sharpness, the England stand-off made it so. We have lauded Wilkinson for many things, for his rock solid kicking, for his tactical awareness, his acute decision-making and, above all, for his resolve in the tackle. But yesterday Wilkinson, with his change of pace, his angles of running and his sheer bravado, slipped effortlessly into a new class of performer, not just one part of an England whole, but a player you take your children to watch so that they can tell their own children about the day.

The statistical appreciation of his work reads: tries 1, conversions 6, penalties 1, carries 26, offloads 5, errors 3, tackles 4, missed tackles 0 – though sharper eyes were sure he had let Ronan O'Gara escape for a consolation try in the second half. It will be that part of the video on rewind in the Wilkinson household. Wilkinson's response to claims that he was approaching the complete No 10 was typically humble. "I suppose I did make a few more yards than usual." It was a measure of Wilkinson's command that when the name of Barry John passed someone's lips the comparison did not seem such blasphemy.

Typically too, the context of Wilkinson's emergence as a running stand-off stemmed from a tenacious pursuit of perfection. "You never want to be pigeon-holed too closely," said Wilkinson. "Watching Jason Robinson on the Lions tour gave me a kick up the backside, I suppose, because you know there's a ladder and you've got to take steps up it, then you see someone so far ahead. I went back and started to do a lot of sprint work. You can practise these things and I'm getting there slowly." The Irish might not want to contemplate the consequences if Wilkinson does reach the top rung. "His footwork was outstanding today," said Woodward. "I think he took his performance to a new level."

The sidestep with which Wilkinson left David Wallace clutching thin air in the early minutes set the tone. Even when he was loitering on the wing, out of harm's way for a second or two, the ball was drawn to him as if returning to its master. When he did make his one mistake, an errant pass intercepted by Brian O'Driscoll, the Irishman was halted just over halfway. But who was lining up to make the final tackle had he escaped? Wilkinson was accorded a standing ovation when he left the field minutes from full-time. Woodward was first to shake him by the hand, possibly to mollify his No 10's fury at being substituted.

Johnson refused to be drawn on what judgment he expects on Thursday. "It's out of my hands," he said. The computers say that England are now the number one team in the world. That is unlikely to impress the England captain any more than the wilder accusations levelled against him this week. Johnson might not see the Stade de France in a fortnight's time. Rugby needs to set an example. But England did their best to right the wrongs yesterday.