Following England\u2019s 48-7 victory over Wales at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, here\u2019s our key winners and losers from the Six Nations encounter.<\/p>\n
Winners<\/p>\n
Henry Arundell<\/p>\n
Given an opportunity after impressing for Bath, the speedster showed his finishing prowess by touching down for a hat-trick, taking his record to 11 tries in 12 Tests. Obviously, tougher challenges await but Arundell\u2019s pace and strength is a point of difference, while there has been a notable improvement in his basics.<\/p>\n
Whether he keeps his place remains to be seen as competition is high for places but, with doubts over Immanuel Feyi-Waboso\u2019s fitness, Arundell offers more out-and-out speed than Tommy Freeman and Tom Roebuck. After showing such promise as a teenager, this could be the year he establishes himself at the top level.<\/p>\n
George Ford<\/p>\n
England<\/a> are blessed with a plethora of quality fly-halves but Ford once again displayed why he has usurped the two Smiths, Fin and Marcus. For starters, the 32-year-old is the playmaker that best suits Steve Borthwick\u2019s<\/a> game plan, and he executes it superbly, but he also has much more variety in his game than he is credited for.<\/p>\n It is easy to forget that when he was coming through the system, Ford was seen as more of a creative fly-half who could pick holes in the opposition defence. His kicking game is something he has developed over time, with the experienced Sale Shark adapting as the sport continues to evolve. It was another classy effort from England\u2019s first-choice 10.<\/p>\n Ollie Chessum<\/p>\n A statement performance from the lock, who was very close to the man of the match award. In fact, we perhaps would have gone for the athletic and powerful forward, who was outstanding in every facet. Chessum was dominant at the lineout, picking the Welsh<\/a> off, while he was a real presence in the loose.<\/p>\n The key thing is for him to stay fit. Alex Coles deputised nicely for him in the latter stages of the November series, but this display has very much cemented Chessum as the starting lock alongside Maro Itoje \u2013 if it was ever in doubt. The second-row has the potential to be a world-class player; he just needs to stay on the field.<\/p>\n Ben Earl<\/p>\n His Saracens form actually hasn\u2019t been that fantastic but, when he gets to England, Earl consistently produces. Despite not being the biggest eight, that does not stop him at the highest level as he always makes ground with ball in hand.<\/p>\n Earl also has a tremendous work rate and he never stopped running in Saturday\u2019s Six Nations<\/a> encounter. With Tom Willis ruling himself out of international selection, there is more pressure on the 28-year-old, but he remains one of the best back-rows in the sport.<\/p>\n Steve Borthwick<\/p>\n There was plenty the head coach would have liked but he would have also been disappointed with aspects of their performance in the second period, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Overall, though, Borthwick\u2019s big calls were justified and England can go into the Calcutta Cup clash with plenty of positivity.<\/p>\n Freeman had some big carries at centre having been moved from wing and, outside of his hat-trick, the aforementioned Arundell looked comfortable on the wing. In the extremely competitive back-row, Guy Pepper continues to excel and is superb in the tighter areas of the game.<\/p>\n England player ratings: George Ford \u2018conducts\u2019 Wales\u2019 demise as \u2018proper poacher\u2019 repays Steve Borthwick\u2019s faith<\/a><\/p>\n Losers<\/p>\n Dewi Lake<\/p>\n Wales don\u2019t have too many Test-quality players at the moment but one individual who has proven himself at this level is Lake. However, this was a game to forget for the hooker, who had an absolute stinker at Twickenham.<\/p>\n Irrespective of the yellow card, which was absolutely cynical, the other areas of his game were also atrocious. The lineout in particular was taken apart while the scrum was shunted backwards by the English. Lake also made a huge error by failing to tap the ball from a penalty five metres out from the opposition line, resulting in possession being handed over to the hosts \u2013 a cardinal sin.<\/p>\n Other cynical trio<\/p>\n Lake wasn\u2019t the only player to spend time on the naughty step during the 80 minutes, with Nicky Smith, Ben Thomas and Taine Plumtree, and there could be few real complaints. Plumtree was perhaps slightly unfortunate given that Henry Pollock was low to the ground when he grasped the English youngster around the neck but, considering that action prevented a try from being scored, you could understand the referee\u2019s decision to award a yellow card and penalty try.<\/p>\n In contrast, Thomas\u2019 was utterly stupid as he ripped the ball out of Trevor Davison\u2019s hands and then played it \u2013 all while on the ground \u2013 when England got to within a couple of metres out. It was always going to be a difficult task for Wales but four yellow cards basically made their task impossible.<\/p>\n Freddie Steward<\/p>\n After the change in the \u2018escort\u2019 law, Steward was meant to be England\u2019s cheat code but, if anything, this amendment has hampered him more than any other player. If the tall and rangy full-back isn\u2019t dominating in the air then his selection is rather pointless as he doesn\u2019t offer as much as others in attack, while he can be exposed in one-on-one situations in defence.<\/p>\n