A humiliating drubbing for last season’s champions. It was always going to be a tough defence for Phil Dowson’s side after the loss of their totemic veterans Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam, Alex Waller and Alex Moon from last year’s pack.
But even with Alex Mitchell and Tommy Freeman, two of the stars of England’s Six Nations campaign rested, and Ollie Sleightholme unavailable because of injury, the flatness and inaccuracy of their performance was alarming.
Not even a doughty cameo from Henry Pollock could bring any relief. Instead it was Leicester who looked like a side with something to prove.