Brendan Gallagher comment: That tackle by Jack Nowell embodies new spirit

Eddie Jones threw plenty of verbal punches before yesterday's game and, for the record, I thought bringing Jonny Sexton's parents into the war of words was below the belt.
His aggression, however, and refusal to retreat into meaningless diplomatic media talk has been like a breath of fresh air and is clearly contagious.  A shame then that he announced after the victory over Ireland that he will not speak to the Press for the next fortnight. Let's see if he can hold to that!
For too long now England have been too nice and politically correct and it was encouraging seeing them snarling again last night and ready for combat.
Their coach and his aggressive attitudes are already beginning to kick in and let's face it something had to change.
England swarmed and harried like the Irish, the otherwise outstanding James Haskell managed to get himself carded for a late and high shot – no complaints good call – and there was all sorts going on at that ruck when Danny Care also correctly saw yellow for preventing release and falling to role away.
What I loved most of all, though, was Jack Nowell's superb ‘die-hard' try-saving tackle on Robbie Henshaw in the second half when England were leading 21-10 but there was more than enough time for the ‘Fighting Irish' to stage a grandstand finish given half a chance.
Anybody who has watched Connacht and, indeed, Ireland with some regularity in recent seasons would have made Henshaw odds on favourite to run that one home.
He might be a big guy but he has real gas and is a natural try scorer who knows where the line is. Mentally I had already upgraded the score to 21-17 and Ireland, with the wind in their sails and their season on the line, could have proved horribly awkward customers in the final 15 minutes.
But Nowell, surplus to requirements during the World Cup save for the final meaningless game against Uruguay, begged to differ.
An age group international and junior World Cup winner at full-back he understands that ‘having the angle' on a winger is the most important thing when attempting the tackle he knew would be needed to save a certain score.
And that was one of the few things in his favour as he sprinted across from midfield while 82,000 fans held their breath. It looked a forlorn chase but he was going to make it nonetheless.
It was quite clear to Nowell that there was no point trying to stop Henshaw actually getting to the line. The powerful Irishman was sprinting flat out and, as an experienced try scorer, would also know to dive low and early and use his momentum.
One way or another Henshaw would reach the line so the only way Cornwall's finest could rescue the situation was tackling Henshaw into touch as he made that dive.
That in turn meant that Nowell, as far as possible, had to hit him broadside on and take some part of the Irish centre's body into touch and to achieve that he had to change the angle of his chase slightly.
He also hit the afterburners to get there even quicker and make the tackle just before Henshaw launched into what should have been the try-scoring dive.
It all sounds a bit involved but Nowell would have taken a milli-second to instinctively assess everything in front of him and commit to a course of action.
From that moment it was a matter of speed, bottle, technique, timing and execution. As it happened Nowell nailed all five and the resulting tackle was one of the very best of its genre Twickenham has ever seen.
In years to come the details of this fiesty game – it was very decent fare but by no means a classic – will recede but everybody will continue to remember it for one thing. Nowell's tackle.
Not only did it stop a try it lifted the atmosphere.  Before the tackle England fans were hopeful but still on tenterhooks, England have faltered so many times when the pressure really came on.
Nowell's tackle, however, was a timely demonstration of exactly how much ‘new' England wanted the win.
It reminds me very much of Josh Lewsey's tackle on Jean de Villers at Twickenham in November 2006.
I will hazard a guess that very few of you remember the score or possibly even who won the game but the tackle is still etched in most of our minds.
The long striding De Villiers intercepted Charlie Hodgson's floated pass and set off upfield for a simple run in, except that  Lewsey, like Nowell, set off like an exocet and knew that he too must manoeuvre to get the angle to force part of the diving De Villiers into touch.
Lewsey's was a similarly remarkable effort and actually inspired a 23-21 win over the Boks, indeed it was the last time England beat South Africa.
That's what great tackles can do and moments later we had Eliott Daly and others somehow preventing Josh Van Der Flier from scoring.
England have a long way to go yet, there is plenty of work to do in various areas, but Nowell's tackle feels like a milestone to me, a significant and welcome pointer that England are going in the right direction.