TWICKENHAM, London -- Doubt is a horrible thing.
Just when it looked like England had cantered to a comfortable Six Nations win over Wales, then came a George North try to start chipping away at an 18-point lead. When Taulupe Faletau burrowed over shortly after, suddenly it was a four-point game.
England had never lost from an advantage as huge as the one they sat on with 10 minutes to play here; Wales had never overturned one so huge, either.
The Rugby World Cup match last September between these sides, where England squandered a 10-point second-half lead -- dismissed as inconsequential this week by the England camp -- was starting to reappear in the consciousness.
Doubt was starting to gnaw away at every sinew of the English DNA but then suddenly came relief when Manu Tuilagi was generously adjudged to have bundled North into touch with 15 seconds left.
Tuilagi's hit relaxed England's shoulders and when Danny Care hit the most aggressive of spiral kicks into the crowd the exhale of relief turned into a guttural roar. From toying with the abyss of another Wales fightback, England are four for four under Eddie Jones and the feel-good factor has returned to Twickenham.
At the centre of it there stands a new hero towering above everybody, in every sense, in England's second-row. All hail the new king of Twickenham: Maro Itoje.
Before Itoje made his England debut last month in Rome, Eddie Jones compared him to a Vauxhall Viva, saying he had the potential to become a BMW. Against Wales he was a supercar: he was brilliant in defence, repeatedly picked off the Welsh lineout and made England's only try. It was an all-court showing from the new darling of English rugby.
What a difference 168 days make. It takes a lot to shake old Twickenham, the sturdiness of the concrete block does not lend itself to a jumping atmosphere, yet there is this burgeoning feeling of excitement with Itoje leading the charge.
For 70 minutes this was England's best performance under Eddie Jones and they are finding an identity. The old adage of earning the right to go wide has been drilled into them and their decision-making was superb against Wales. They squandered opportunities to put further distance between themselves and Wales when Ben Youngs and Dan Cole failed to ground the ball with the try line gaping in the first half but they still had timely injections of newfound tempo: Anthony Watson's try, superb defensive stands either side of half-time, and the introduction of Tuilagi for his first England appearance since June 2014 midway through the second half.
Itoje was central to most of the matchmaking moments. The lineout steal and follow-up tackle on Alex Cuthbert in the 24th minute was impressive, not least because it was his concession of a penalty just moments earlier which had brought about the lineout chance for Wales.
Then came his gainline-breaking shift which led to Watson's score, committing three men before shipping it left to Mike Brown who then released Watson to finish. Back in defence, with three minutes left of the first half, he forced a key turnover which allowed England to clear their lines as Wales desperately tried to get some points.
He was quieter in the second half but fully merited his man of the match award all the same. His workrate is immense: he heads from one breakdown to another all without breaking stride.
Other performances would have pleased Jones. Chris Robshaw was superb at blindside while Watson's ability under the high ball eclipsed anyone else on the field. Ford's decision making at moments in the second half was a little suspect -- not least in his kick being charged down by Biggar for Wales' first try -- but Owen Farrell was assured at inside centre and faultless from the kicking tee. Billy Vunipola was a little less omnipotent than we have seen in the past three games but he is still England's go-to man when they require yards or a platform to relieve pressure.
England are still a work in progress but Wales were alarmingly slack in defence -- they missed 19 tackles in the first half alone -- and for much of the game any punches they threw at England were off the back of the hosts' mistakes. England's drop off in the final 10 minutes will concern Jones, albeit that it came with Dan Cole sitting in the sin bin, but Warren Gatland will wonder why the tempo and general bullishness we have come to expect from his side was so lacking.
England's attention now shifts to Paris with that elusive Grand Slam on the line. They will do their best to play down the pressure this week, and stress that this is a new England, but there is an inevitability that -- having fallen short on other occasions since their last clean sweep in 2003 -- parallels will be drawn with the past. That final 10 minutes gave them a timely reminder of their mortality.