With irreparable damage already done in consecutive defeats to Wales and Australia, this was little more than a 10-try exercise in arithmetic in Manchester rather than the expected rousing send-off into the quarter-finals.
A hat-trick for both Nick Easter and Jack Nowell, two tries for Anthony Watson, one from Henry Slade and a late penalty try saw England pile on the points against their largely amateur opponents, whose fitness, if not their will to stay in the contest, wilted as the match wore on.
“Uruguay took a bit of breaking down, but we scored some great tries and everyone got a run," England coach Stuart Lancaster said. “We put some good shapes together, there were some good skills out there.
"The reaction of the crowd was great. It’s been a tough week for the players, but the crowd stuck behind them and gave us a big lift.”
It was always likely to be an awkward occasion for England; little more than a chance to alleviate a fraction of the embarrassment caused by their early tournament exit.
They had already sewn up third place in Pool A before the match and will probably not waste any time looking at the final standings -- two points behind Wales and six adrift of group winners Australia.
Lancaster, whose future in the job will be picked over in the coming days, selected one of the most creative and attacking sides possible, loading the team with playmakers charged with securing an emphatic victory.
Nothing else would have been deemed par against Uruguay, but there was often little fluidity to their play, even if the score did tick over steadily.
A penalty for Uruguay to open the scoring after two minutes seemed strangely fitting, before Watson promptly chased down a Nowell kick to touch down and restore normality.
Veteran number eight Easter, who began the tournament as a TV pundit before being called into the squad to replace the injured Billy Vunipola, then twice bundled over from close range to give England a comfortable, if unspectacular, 21-3 advantage at the break.
A yellow card for Santiago Vilaseca at the close of the first half helped England to get off to a flyer at the start of the second, with Watson touching down in the corner for his second try two minutes after the break.
Then the floodgates opened. Outside centre Slade showed some neat footwork before crossing in the corner, Nowell grabbed his first and Easter claimed his hat-trick.
Nowell went over twice more and a late penalty try finished off the contest.
(Editing by David Goodman)
Share
