England’s ambition to win a first Six Nations title since 2020 is up and running following a comprehensive 48-7 beating of Wales at Allianz Stadium.
Steve Borthwick’s side were clinical in the first half, securing the four-try bonus point five minutes before the interval, but they will be frustrated that they didn’t kick on in the second as they were limited to just three more tries.
That frustration is nitpicking in the sense that the result was done and dusted at such an early juncture, but Steve Tandy’s Wales were there for the taking by an even larger margin than 41 points, especially as they had two spells in the match reduced to 13 players following rapid-succession sin-binnings.
With the benefit of hindsight, though, England’s second-half inability to fully press on the accelerator through their Lee Blackett attack will be seen as a good thing as it will sharpen the minds ahead of next Saturday’s trip to Scotland, who will be looking to make amends for getting ambushed by Italy in Rome.
Reshuffle
Making light of their post-selection reshuffle that was Tom Roebuck replacing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso on the wing, England quickly set the tone in London with a Sam Underhill charge down on Louis Rees-Zammit followed by player of the match George Ford landing a third-minute penalty kick for the lead.
A Freddie Steward aerial fumble resulted in England straying offside and Wales kicking to the corner, but obstructing at the lineout dashed their optimism. Another obstruction in rapid succession allowed the home side to kick to the corner down the other end, and that brought an eighth-minute Henry Arundell try.
The score stemmed from a tap penalty taken by Ellis Genge and the ensuing pick and go drawing in the defence, Ford perfectly picked the timing of his assist pass to the winger, who was making his first Test start since Rugby World Cup 2023.
Ford added the extras for a 10-point advantage, and the die was now cast. The out-half was soon back on the kicking tee, Wales infringing following the pressure that arose from two of his booming kicks, but he was stopped from taking it as TMO spotted a Genge infringement and the penalty was overturned.
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That let-off should have energised the Welsh, but they instead soon saw yellow. Skipper Dewi Lake had been told by the referee that his team were conceding too many penalties and Nicky Smith was carded following the next lineout.
With Roebuck next held up over the line on penalty advantage, skipper Lake was carded, meaning Wales would have to defend for nine minutes and 20 seconds with 13 players. A penalty advantage arose off the restarting scrum, where Wales had to bring on two of their bench, and this allowed Ford to find Arundell with the crosskick to score.
The try went unconverted, and while Freeman failed to find Roebuck with a pass and Genge got held up over the line, the 15-0 lead jumped to 22 in the 24th minute when Ben Earl powered his way over down the touchline and Ford brilliantly landed the conversion.
Wales limited the damage to 12 points with 13 players, but their replenished set-piece left them down repeatedly in the play that followed, culminating in a poor attack off a halfway line scrum where a Ben Thomas pass went loose and allowed Arundell to scoop up race and race away for his hat-trick score and England’s four-try bonus point.
Wales’ miserable half was then summed up by skipper Lake derisorily failing to touch the ball with his foot when taking a quick tap penalty five metres out. Up 29-0, England returned for the second half minus Genge, but a scrum penalty for Joe Heyes secured the territory, which ignited an attack that produced a four-on-one overlap finished off by Roebuck.
Thirty-six points clear with 35 minutes remaining, the situation now existed for Borthwick’s side to go on and surpass last year’s record-setting exploits in Cardiff, where they humiliated the Welsh with a 68-14, 10-try mauling.
That, though, didn’t come to pass as England became a bit like France on Thursday night when trouncing Ireland, temporarily losing their way.
With the Welsh bench bringing energy, Maro Itoje was sin-binned just 29 seconds after getting introduced as a sub with England on a card warning and Josh Adams went over in the corner for a 52nd-minute try converted by Dan Edwards.
That, though, was as positive as their riposte got. With Thomas yellow-carded on 65 minutes for playing the ball off his feet at a ruck near the tryline, England had a penalty try two minutes later.
Henry Pollock thought he had scored but he instead put a foot touch when he was smacked in the head while diving by Taine Plumtree. The decision was a penalty try and a yellow card, leaving Wales down to 13 players again for eight minutes.
English indiscipline helped the Welsh ride out this imbalance, a Luke Cowan-Dickie neck roll scrubbing out a Freeman try and Tom Curry then seeing yellow for an off-the-ball tackle. England, though, had the final say despite being a man short, Freeman getting in at the corner despite Wales having been restored to 15 players.
The teams
England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Tommy Freeman, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Henry Arundell, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Guy Pepper, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Alex Coles, 3 Joe Heyes, 2 Jamie George (c), 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Trevor Davison, 19 Maro Itoje, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Ben Spencer, 23 Marcus Smith
Wales: 15 Louis Rees-Zammit, 14 Ellis Mee, 13 Eddie James, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Josh Macleod, 6 Alex Mann, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Dafydd Jenkins, 3 Archie Griffin, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements: 16 Liam Belcher, 17 Rhys Carre, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Ben Carter, 20 Taine Plumtree, 21 Harri Deaves, 22 Kieran Hardy, 23 Mason Grady
Referee: Pierre Brousset (FFR)