THE TWICKENHAM crowd was in a forgiving mood. When Danny Cipriani was substituted in the 71st minute, the majority of the 80,688 fans came up with a sound that was more cheer than jeer. Had Charlie Hodgson performed identically, doubtless the cheers would have been in the silent minority.

Two wonderful breaks apart, the Wasps fly-half was taught a lesson in the art of patient rugby by the often maverick Australian Matt Giteau. Cipriani tried to force the game too often, whereas the Wallaby was content to kick behind the somnolent figure of Paul Sackey, who daydreamed through the first half.

Easy territory and a lack of discipline combined to offer up the opportunity of points to Australia’s goal-kicker. And, unlike Cipriani, he was in no mood for missing as England shook their heads in a display of suicidal infringing which chipped Australia towards a tiny degree of vengeance for events in Marseilles last year. Australia kicked their goals with the accuracy Twickenham for so long associated with Jonny Wilkinson.

When Hodgson came up short in the department of the immaculate boot, he was lambasted by a crowd which cried for Jonny. Yet, even in spite of a bitterly disappointing England performance, in which two relatively simple penalties were missed and an easy drop goal attempt fluffed, Cipriani’s departure from the field was received with surprising affection. It seems there is life after Wilkinson as far as the English rugby faithful are concerned.

Fallow times since the World Cup win in 2003 have changed the appetite of Twickenham man. The batter of the bludgeon is still dear to the soul but something else is pined for, something different, something that has been missing for too long. That something is the sheer wit, imagination and swagger that Cipriani, 21, exudes – in victory and defeat.

Last weekend England’s fans were lifted by two superb team tries in an otherwise mundane effort. Yesterday Cipriani twice sparked Twickenham with the sort of break beyond the range of perhaps even Giteau. Once in each half he ripped through the Australian defence. Alas for the England supporters, nothing came of either thrilling insertion through the Wallaby heart.

The second break was totally undermined by the hurried flap of the doomed drop kick beneath the shadow of the opposition posts. Imagine if that had been poor old Charlie. But, starved of inspiration, the home hordes politely clapped the flawed wizard from the field of play.

Whether Martin Johnson will be quite as charitable is a completely different matter. Johnson, the pragmatist’s pragmatist, was always one for building a lead. Get into the opposition 22 and take what is on offer. Nobody has come near to matching Wilkinson in this facet of the game. Had England and Cipriani kicked their penalties and that drop goal, who knows? If Johnson allows that thought to embed itself in his formidable rugby brain, Cipriani could be doing a stint of bench warming against the Springboks next weekend, with Toby Flood given the responsibility for kicking the goals.

The other view is that if Cipriani had not kick-started the England offence on those two occasions, this would have been a match that would invariably have slipped away from them. The missed kicks would not have mattered because England would not have been in a position to kick the points.

This school of thought does not absolve Cipriani from the charge of naive play, but it probably targets other areas which need remedy.

Had the England forwards sought to deliver quick possession, it is entirely possible that Cipriani would have unleashed more potent waves of attack than anything we have seen in Johnson’s first two weeks in charge.

The obsession of the pack with securing the ball without risk (in other words playing one man out and static off the scrum-half to ensure there is no risk of being turned over – resulting in no chance of creating rapid waves of attacking ball for the backs) is still at odds with the type of possession Brian Smith needs if his attack is to flourish on the front foot.

That is the fundamental problem that England and Johnson must resolve before South Africa. Cipriani proved against Ireland last season that he has the range of skills and the rugby brain to control a match in the mature manner of Giteau.

Dropping him might please a few rugby people who dislike his celebrity status, but it will signal a clear failing to see the serious fault line that still exists within Johnson’s team.