BEING freed from the shackles and pressure of playing for his club has allowed Mark Wilson to thrive for England on the international stage, insists Lewis Moody.

Newcastle Falcons flanker Wilson helped his country record the greatest victory of the Eddie Jones era on Saturday as England defeated Ireland 32-20 in their Six Nations opener.

Wilson’s defensive performance was singled out for praise as England claimed a first win in Dublin since 2013 after he finished the game having racked up a monstrous 27 tackles.

And while Falcons have struggled this season – currently sitting bottom of the Premiership - England Rugby World Cup winner Moody is not surprised to see Wilson shining for England.

“What I love in international sport of any kind, is when you see a player, maybe he’s been on the periphery, who has come to the fore,” Moody said, speaking on behalf of Land Rover.

“He may have played at a club that isn’t the Toulon, the Leicester, the Saracens, the all singing, all dancing clubs, who most of the international players seem to come from.

“You get a guy like Mark Wilson who has been plying his trade at Newcastle, who are at the bottom of the league, but who’s obviously been doing the right things.

“And what I love as a former international or even when I was playing, is when these guys get an opportunity and they come, and they take it – that’s what Mark Wilson has done.

“He’s been given an opportunity during the autumn and has proved his worth - and during the game against Ireland he proved his worth once again.

“When you have players around you like [Tom] Curry and [Billy] Vunipola, it allows him just to focus on what he is good at, whereas at club sometimes it can be more difficult.

“At club you may not have the same talent pool around you or the same work rate around you and you may end up having to do more jobs.

“Whereas what Mark can do in these games and this England side is what he is good at and his defence at the weekend, along with the rest of the team, was absolutely brilliant.”

Wilson’s final tackle tally of 27 against Ireland was only matched by Mako Vunipola against Ireland and was the most by any England player in a Six Nations Championship match.

England also produced a remarkable 46 dominant tackles – when the defender makes contact and drives the attacker back in one movement – with Wilson contributing the second most.

A heavyweight France side are up next for England and possess the firepower to trouble Wilson and Co at Twickenham – but Moody is not concerned about what lies ahead for the Red Rose.

“England have always had a good defence, but they have taken it to another level,” he said. “Ireland have prided themselves on their defence for decades, but they were clinically taken apart.

“It was the hunger the tenacity, the quality of the tackling that was truly impressive. It wasn’t just a little stint, it was every single play. You could see how hungry they were.

“Eddie talks about how quickly his defenders can get back off the floor and into the game to defend and how quickly his attackers get can back into the line to create more opportunities in attack.

“That’s what we saw at the weekend. There was an absolute hunger to get back into the game and make a game-changing play, whether it was in attack or defence.

“I think that’s what excited me most, that tenacious, desire and belief to want to get the ball back or have the ball in your hands when you’ve got it in attack.”

Lewis Moody is a Land Rover ambassador. Land Rover shares and understands the values of rugby. @LandRoverRugby