AFTER years of build-up, it was finally here.

It was like shaking your mate's can of Coke for 10 minutes while he's out the room and expectantly waiting for it to explode over his face.

Only for it to be opened, slurped, and finished without any fuss.

England will be happy enough because they got the maximum points from the game, but those launching the hosts alongside New Zealand as nailed-on finalists might want to rethink.

The first 15 and last 15 minutes was the new-age England we'd come to expect.

They were dynamic, they were physical and they were clinical.

Unfortunately the middle was a bit hollow.

After pulverising Fiji in the first scrum, it became a lottery.

Of England's eight scrums, they lost three.

The host's expected dominance up front was nowhere to be seen in the breakdown either with Fiji piling bodies into the ruck.

This resulted in England only managing to win 91.7% of their own rucks compared to Fiji's 98.2%.

Ben Youngs will wish he could scrap this game and celebrate his 50th cap next week because he showed nothing like the form that got him a Lions jersey.

His first two passes found the turf, his kicking game was woeful and he wasn't able to control the tempo of the game.

He was behind a breakdown getting fried, but Richard Wigglesworth immediately got his side ticking.

There was a zip in his 30-minute cameo which might well see Ben Youngs watching on from the sidelines - either with the number 21 on his back or a suit.

What compounded the Youngs performance further was the fact that George Ford simmered nicely with a solid display.

He's been criticised for being too small, but his strength in the breakdown in the first half to save a counter-attacking Mike Brown was crucial.

And aside from being floored by a 6'5" nearly 20 stone Nadolo, he was part of a structured defensive unit.

Another who flopped was Ben Morgan, both in attack and defence.

He's been commended for being in the best shape of his life, but his conditioning has come at a price, because he couldn't catch or tackle tonight and made way for the excellent Billy Vunipola on 50 minutes.

But by far the biggest worry for Stuart Lancaster was Brad Barritt.

He's been his go-to man for a couple of years now, but his negativity is stifling the English team.

Ford, Watson, Joseph, May, Brown - all attack-minded players.

Barritt is anything but.

The fluidity of their play marries perfectly with the way England want to approach the game and it's when they look at their most dangerous.

Throwing Barritt in amongst them is like lobbing a breeze block into a paddling pool full of toddlers, and not nearly as subtle.

When he carries hard and makes his tackles, he can slot in and is an asset.

When he tries to fit the attacking mould of his team-mates it's painful to watch.

It's no surprise Jonathan Joseph - who has been the form 13 in the world in the last 12 months - didn't sizzle.

Barritt constantly crabbed into his space and chewed up any of his attacking potential.

He only made three carries in 70 minutes and gave away three penalties - more than anyone else in the game.

There were, though, plenty of positives for England.

The lineout had struggled in the build up to the World Cup, but Tom Youngs' was consistent.

There have been grumblings that he could only throw to his old Leicester team-mate Geoff Parling, but of the seven successful line-out, Saints' Tom Wood took five and the former Tiger just the one.

Jonny May's game might still be limited on the international stage, but his aerial dominance and willingness to get involved shone through, especially in a first half without much going right for his team.

Defensively he is still a liability as Nikolai Matawalu proved by turning him inside-out, upside-down and back-to-front only to drop the ball over the line.

England's bench added impetus right when they needed it.

The only headache for Lancaster is now whether to leave them as impact players, or reward them with starting jerseys.

But by far England's brightest star was Mike Brown.

He gave his country a lift when they needed it most, and he did it about half a dozen times.

When he gets the ball from a kick and he signals his intent to run, not only do the 14 men around him react positively, but so too do the 80,000 inside Twickenham and the millions watching on TV.

He energises teams with his willingness to run with the ball and drags his pals along with him.

For a fullback to be the top carrier with 15 in a game like this is remarkable, and even more remarkable is that he made 172m.

His runner up was Jonny May with 63m from eight carries.

At his best two years ago, he was the best full-back on the planet.

The old Mike Brown was back last night, and the world will have stood up and taken notice.

Five points is all you can get from a game in the pool stages, and England got five points.

Fans are right to be despondent because play like that against Wales and top spot in the group can be waved goodbye.

England had the weight of a nation on their shoulders - and it looked heavy.

They'll have to get used to that pretty quickly if they are to emulate the greats of 2003.

The final word must, sadly, go to the TMO.

When the television match officials are used correctly, they are a joy. 

They get decisions right, they clean up the game and everybody is happy. 

But do we need to stop the game for five minutes every time someone may or may not have cleared someone out without wrapping their arms around the man? 

If the referee doesn't see it, his two officials doesn't see it and the situation is still unclear after 60 seconds of footage - the referee should stick with his original decision and move on. 

Should that decision be, "I didn't see it, play on", then so be it - we have citing commissioners. 

The Rugby World Cup has the power to attract new fans. 

They'll turn off if every game has the interuptions we saw last night. 

PLAYER RATINGS by Gareth Davies

15 Mike Brown - Without him England not only would have struggled to get the bonus point, they might well have lost. 8

14 Anthony Watson - Constantly looked for work with 12 carries but couldn't prize open any doors. 6

13 Jonathan Joseph - Slipped tacklers with ease to beat three defenders and coped well with Goneva. 7

12 Brad Barritt - England's game has evolved, but Barritt's has not. 4

11 Jonny May - Matawalu defencive blip led to Nadolo try but was everywhere in first half with kick claims and strong runs. 7

10 George Ford - Controlled things neatly without much help in front of him. 7

9 Ben Youngs - Fifty was the magic number. 50 caps. Hauled off after 50 minutes. Poor distribution and 50-50 with his kicking. 4

1 Joe Marler - Scrummaged well but didn't see much of him in the loose. Only 4 tackles and not one carry in 50 minutes. 6

2 Tom Youngs - Put lineout demons to bed and made a handful of huge hits in open play. 7

3 Dan Cole - Quiet night for the Tiger as the scrum became a lottery. 6

4 Geoff Parling - Left the field with a stinger to his shoulder on 50 minutes after a tidy enough showing in the boiler room. 6

5 Courtney Lawes - None of his trademark big hits and overshadowed by opposite number Leone Nakarawa. 6

6 Tom Wood - Clever read for the first Mike Brown try and was main source of possession in the lineout with five takes. 7

7 Chris Robshaw - Bullied at the breakdown but was defiant as ever to top England's tackle count with 11 hits. 6

8 Ben Morgan - Looked completely out of sorts before coming off for impressive Vunipola and will have to impress in training to hold onto starting berth. 4