England's brave new world is based on freedom of expression and a willingness to attack from anywhere and everywhere, but rather more old-fashioned virtues put them in control of a bitty match that will have very little bearing on how the two countries will prosper or otherwise in the Six Nations.
The Wolfhounds were more mutt than pedigree, scrapping well at the breakdown but less than proficient when it came to the basics, a deficiency the Saxons exploited from the start as they went 10-0 up in nine minutes only to be let down by a carelessness in possession that made what should have been a resounding victory into a tight contest.
Freddie Burns gave the Saxons the lead with a penalty after his opposite number, Ian Keatley, had not released the ball under pressure from Ugo Monye. Keatley's restart went straight into touch, the Wolfhounds collapsed the subsequent scrum and when the Saxons kicked the penalty to touch, James Gaskell caught the throw to launch a series of driving mauls that ended with Ben Spencer conning the defence with a dummy.
A characteristic of matches between two teams that have never played together before is a lack of organisation. The Saxons' Matt Mullan once had the line at his mercy, but the prop was so intent on finding a colleague to bind on and drive a maul that he missed what was not in front of him.
The Saxons' willingness to move the ball was not complemented by producing quick ball. One promising attack was ended when Thomas Waldrom was robbed of possession on the floor by his opposite number Rhys Ruddock, and while Matt Hopper and Burns flickered intermittently, there was little cohesion.
Keatley's devilish break had created the chance and the outside-half was involved when the Wolfhounds scored after kicking a penalty to touch. A series of drives took them close to the line before Keatley called a midfield move and David Kearney baffled the defence with a run off his wing.
When the home side extended their lead, it summed up how the game had become increasingly scrappy: Burns chipped to the line 15 metres out and the ball ricocheted off three players before landing in the arms of Waldrom, a Saxon if not an Anglo.
The Irish again responded quickly. Tomás O'Leary, picked by the Lions three years ago but now Ireland's fourth-choice scrum-half, had been on the field seven minutes when he finished off his side's first attack of the half.
The Saxons sealed victory with two Burns penalties as the Wolfhounds launched abortive counterattacks, but ultimately promised more than they delivered and Simon Zebo took his side ahead on tries with the last move of the night.
