That's what Bongi Mbonambi described it as.
asserted
Mbonambi → describe → it
After scraping past Steve Borthwick's side in the 2023 Rugby World Cup semi-final, the South Africa hooker was scathing of England's back-slapping and celebrating of in-game wins.
asserted
hooker → scrap → wins
By then, it had already become something of a meme.
asserted
it → become → meme
Back row Ben Earl pumping his fist to celebrate Ireland's crooked line-out throw in a pre-tournament warm-up was a particular source of online mockery.
asserted
pumping → pump → mockery
But, while it isn't the diesel grunt that can win matches on its own, "plastic energy" is still something.
asserted
energy → win → own
It is the body language that shows mindset and intent, that a team's pilot light is on and burning bright.
asserted
light → show → mindset
England had it under Borthwick at the Stade de France three years ago, coming agonisingly close to derailing the Springboks.
asserted
England → have → Springboks
And they had it in spades in Sunday's 45-22 win against the Wallabies.
asserted
they → have → Wallabies
Earl, inevitably, was one outlet, loudly celebrating a third-minute scrum success.
But there were plenty more examples throughout the match.
asserted
Earl → celebrate → match
Jamie George bellowing into the stands after the opening score; captain Maro Itoje being surrounded with congratulations after an early charge-down; Henry Slade being embraced after a lung-busting late try-saving tackle on Max Jorgensen.
asserted
Slade → bellow → Jorgensen
Borthwick needed it all.
asserted
Borthwick → need → it
A report in the Times newspaper earlier in the week had said that a rift between the players and their coach opened in Argentina in July, at the end of the summer's campaign.
asserted
rift → say → campaign
England's senior players denied it.
asserted
players → deny → it
Nothing more to see, they said, than the transparent honesty of a team where input is valued and improvement is the lodestar.
asserted
improvement → see → team
But, they also promised proof on the pitch against Australia.
asserted
they → promise → Australia
Another misfiring, disjointed, underpowered performance – like that in their most-recent visit to Twickenham, February's 42-21 defeat by Ireland - would dial up the pressure on Borthwick another notch.
asserted
performance → dial → Borthwick
Instead, his fired-up players turned up.
asserted
players → fire → ?
They did so in the obvious ways.
asserted
They → do → ways
Ben Curry leaping out of the line to land a big hit on fly-half Declan Meredith was satisfyingly old school.
But there was more than that.
asserted
Curry → leap → that
There was a different sort of bravery – the one that dares to chance the arm, throw a final pass and back ability, rather than take a safe option.
asserted
that → be → option
Full-back George Furbank summed it up.
asserted
Furbank → sum → it
Playing his first Test in nearly two years, his ball-playing smarts were deliciously demonstrated in Jack van Poortvliet's try, hitting a line, flashing a dummy and smuggling an offload to cut the Wallabies to ribbons.
asserted
smarts → play → ribbons
Henry Slade and Seb Atkinson pulled strings expertly as well.
asserted
Slade → pull → strings
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso showed the sort of Test match mojo that England must protect at all costs.
asserted
England → show → costs
The Exeter wing, who, like Furbank, has endured a rotten injury run, was electric in the first half.
asserted
who → endure → half
Every time the 23-year-old touched the ball, expectation crackled around the stands.
asserted
expectation → touch → stands
And it was mostly met.
asserted
it → meet → ?
In 40 minutes of rugby, Feyi-Waboso made 113m from eight carries, beating seven defenders.
asserted
Waboso → make → defenders
All those figures were unmatched by any other England player despite the fact that Feyi-Waboso came off at the break and only played 32 minutes uninjured.
asserted
Waboso → come → minutes
The wing's ankle was caught under prop Angus Bell's considerable heft and was cossetted in a protective boot as he watched the remainder of the match from the sidelines.
asserted
he → catch → sidelines
After Feyi-Waboso's absence from the entirety of England's Six Nations campaign, the decision not to remove him immediately and minimise the damage may be one they regret when the prognosis lands.
uncertain
prognosis → remove → damage
England looked to his pace, power and unpredictability as much as they could, feeding him on a dart off the blindside wing from one promising line-out position.
uncertain
they → look → position
They may be missing it next week against Japan.
uncertain
They → miss → Japan
Henry Pollock, with a shock of freshly-peroxided hair, came on and inevitably stole the spotlight, with two tries in a cameo on the wing.
asserted
Pollock → peroxide → wing
A cleaned-up disciplinary display – with seven penalties conceded and only the second time this year they have managed to avoid being shown a card – and breakdown that was quick and clean were major plus points.
asserted
that → clean → card
The bench maintained their dominance with an all-Lions front row of Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Will Stuart trotting on to turn the screw was a welcome sight.
asserted
row → maintain → screw
"I am really proud," Borthwick told BBC Sport.
asserted
Borthwick → tell → Sport
We have had some bumps in the road.
asserted
We → have → road
We have this age bubble where we have so many players 25 and under who are developing quickly into great Test match players, and we have an older group who are helping to guide them.
asserted
who → have → them
"It is an interesting balance and they are working so well together.
asserted
they → work → ?
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
