Largely, because those halcyon days never really existed - which isn't 100% accurate, as they did exist for 3-4 years at the turn of the century, but that was more down to being (along with NZ) the only properly professional outfit in international rugby (as opposed to paid hobbeyists).

Oh, and you need to go (a little) further back than 2003 to say that we've been coherent in attack outside of set phases or overcoaching. That phase can pretty much be defined as "that bit when Brian Ashton was England's attack coach before being pushed out"

Of the coaches who's teams I remember watching, if you think that Geoff Cooke, Jack Rowell, SCW (95-98), SCW (02-04), Andy Robinson or Brian Ashton as head coach (16 years ago takes us to 2008) were playing that sort of rugby, then you remember it very differently from myself.