England's heavyweight pair Manu Tuilagi and Joe Cokanasiga pummel Italy
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Six Nations 2019: England dominate Italy 57-14 at Twickenham
These are strange times at Twickenham. Before England's 57-14 victory over Italy the stadium's PA blasted out The Prodigy's Firestarter, a nod to the recently deceased Keith Flint in front of many who you suspect would have liked to have seen him conscripted into military service.
Within the first four minutes England twice kicked behind the opposition defence, just as they had repeatedly in their first three matches this year, only this time it was prop Kyle Sinckler and number eight Billy Vunipola doing it.
Across the next 74 minutes they ran in eight tries, frequently displaying the sort of power and pace that can cut even the best teams apart, yet left the field with many of the questions that have dogged them under Eddie Jones left unanswered.
This is a game for England that they can't win even when they are breezing it. When you have come out on top in all 25 fixtures you have played against a team there will be those who attach an asterisk to each fresh victory over them. When you know the result before you turn up you are unlikely to dance away into the streets afterwards.
For most of the first half and about half the second period England were very good. Their heavyweight ball-carriers and runners pummelled the visitors into a blue pulp. They went wide with pace and attacked tight with muscle. Their set-piece was dominant.
So too was the memory of the last 35 minutes in Cardiff a fortnight ago, when a team that appeared in control first lost it and then failed to get anywhere close to regaining it.
If there are games that don't seem to matter there are those that carry a weight long after they have come to an end. The defeat against Wales was one of those. Jones was still talking about it on Saturday night in self-admonishing tones.
In the continuing return to form of Manu Tuliagi and the ongoing international emergence of Joe Cokanasiga he has much to cheer him up.
Tuilagi in this rampaging shape is close to unstoppable. It's not just his size, although he weighs more than world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, and it's not just his speed, although he is a runaway downhill dumper-truck in full flight.
It's all that plus his ability to change direction like an old-school fly-half of 11 stone, to step off either foot as easily as he smashes through defenders' arms. It has been five long years since the centre last scored for his country. The pleasure he is taking in crashing back onto the biggest stage is visible in everything he does.
Cokanasiga may not have ram-raided two tries like his new mate but was arguably more impressive yet. Frequently the beneficiary of Elliot Daly's rapier thrusts inside him, he made 108 metres, five clean breaks and two offloads, leading his team in each category.
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Jones will want more. His England still play in bursts rather than long spells. They are frequently dangerous without being ruthless. While the coach is lucky to have replacements as prospering as Ellis Genge he still appears reluctant to trust others like Dan Robson.
Compared to his opposite number Conor O'Shea, however, his world is a bed of red roses.
O'Shea, an immensely likeable man, has yet to win a Six Nations match with Italy. They haven't won in this competition for four years. It is 19 years since they entered the tournament and yet they look no closer to being at home in it than they did at the turn of the century.
On Saturday injury cost O'Shea three centres. He ended with a scrum-half on the wing and a loose-head prop in the back row, although if you want sympathy, you don't go to 59-year-old Australian males. "I don't feel anything for Italy," muttered Jones afterwards. "That's for someone else to worry about."
When a match is refereed by a man named Nic Berry the temptation is to think that every loser wins. Maybe Italy do. They keep losing and they keep getting a place at the top table.
Yet in a week when relegation from the Six Nations was once again discussed as a real prospect, conceding a half-century of points is ugly look. The controversial World League may never happen but the vulnerability of Italy remains.
It is only ever green shoots rather than pulling up trees. While they had not been beaten by more than 12 points in their first three games this year, they had shipped 30 points by half-time on Saturday, only the fourth time in Five and Six Nations history that England have scored as many at the same point.
Between 2008 and 2013, they were within a score of England in four of their six meetings. In the years since they have been beaten by at least 21 points every time. That isn't even flat-lining.
Italy have lost their last 21 Six Nations matches - a championship record
"I thought with the ball we caused problems," said O'Shea afterwards. "We never ever stopped. It would have been easy to throw in the white flag, but we didn't. We could have come away with four tries today."
He could also have pointed to the 28-17 win last autumn over Georgia, the team most likely to benefit should the Six Nations ever sanction relegation and promotion. England, playing as they do at their best, have proved themselves capable of hurting world champions New Zealand and beating reigning Grand Slam champions Ireland.
"Sometimes you can over-analyse things," said O'Shea. "We were overpowered."
But they are overpowered on some days and overawed on others. They do not always finish last in the Six Nations - Scotland have spent much of the past decade looking over their shoulder, France took the wooden spoon in 2013 and England, less we forget, were fifth a year ago - but they are plucky outsiders who seldom look like coming in.
England win handsomely yet the coach is frequently dissatisfied. Italy are thrashed yet insist on reasons for optimism. Strange times indeed.
* Wales will be awarded three bonus points if they beat Ireland and secure the Grand Slam