“I LOVE CHOCOLATE, man. Love it.”

Viliami Vunipola was determined to keep the positive elements of the Six Nations final day at the forefront of the conversation despite Saturday’s 13  –  9 loss to Ireland.

The first player to wander into the packed mixed zone, the England number eight wasn’t for backing behind a cordon or up against a sponsor’s board. No, ‘Billy’ stood his ground comfortably, letting the swollen Grand Slam-seeking press pack orbit around him as he happily fielded questions.

“We won the title,” Vunipola reminds the autopsy committee.

“It’s very English of us to be disappointed. I remember when Ireland won two years ago, we had to beat France by a certain score, they still celebrated. We have to celebrate!”

“It’s amazing how emotionally charged Ireland were today. We’ve got to learn now, if we’re ever in the situation again, how to negate that, how to take the crowd out of the game. Again, it comes down to what we could have done better.”

Source: Inpho/Billy Stickland

The return of Vunipola to the back row was supposed to be one powerhouse too many for Ireland to handle as they reeled off a loss to Wales to face the unstoppable juggernaut of Eddie Jones’ Chariot.

However, Ireland’s back row continually frustrated England’s attack, never more so than Peter O’Mahony’s line-out steal five minutes from time. No excuses from Vunipola, he even admitted they had been warned by a certain BBC pundit.

“Watching them play last week, Paul O’Connell said he’s a massive line-out threat both in attack and defence. He showed today he has great athleticism, great player.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

“Not only that, but Stander and O’Brien played well. We could have done better, but it happens. We’ll enjoy our victory, sorry our trophy, and move on.”