It was not a good performance from Ireland in Twickenham today. England were bigger, faster and better in almost every facet of play - even whipping out their GAA skills just to rub it in.
Just two weeks ago, Ireland were flying high as second in the world. It seemed well earned given the back to back Six Nations that Joe Schmidt's team have had - but back to back losses have seen Ireland plummet down the rankings again.
How far? Quite far down. According to the rankings calculator Azure Websites, Ireland's loss will see them drop down to sixth. There seems to be a tier between sixth and seventh, with France several ranking points behind - but it goes to show how tight things are behind New Zealand.
It also means that the top three nations in the world are the three Southern Hemisphere giants, with England in fourth, Wales in fifth and Ireland in sixth.
Given that performance we just witnessed, it's hard to argue with our rankings. Although, it's how Ireland like to go into tournaments. Schmidt will be anxious to get his charges into camp, and will be sure to sort them out before things get real in the World Cup.
