England player ratings: George Ford ‘conducts’ Wales’ demise as ‘proper poacher’ repays Steve Borthwick’s faith
George Ford (left) and Henry Arundell (right) took starring roles for England against Wales
Following England’s 48-7 win over Wales at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, here is how we rated Steve Borthwick’s men.
England player ratings v Wales
15 Freddie Steward: A really confident and assured display from the Leicester full-back, which bodes well for his chances of featuring for the rest of the Championship. Was peppered by aerial bombs, but defused every one that came his way, and got England on the front-foot with some nice counter-attacks off the back of them. 7
14 Tom Roebuck: Kept very quiet in the first-half, but came to life at the start of the second, making a nice break and later scoring minutes after, and didn’t look back. Will also be better for the minutes after a lengthy spell on the sidelines. 6
13 Tommy Freeman: Is still very fresh to life at 13 in this England side, but the early signs are promising. Trucked hard through traffic, making some really good post-contact metres in the process, and was always willing to take the positive choice. His passing was a touch hit-and-miss, but that will come with more time in his new position. 7
12 Fraser Dingwall: An understated yet important effort from the centre, who again showed why he is Borthwick’s go-to man at 12. Yet again acted as that crucial link-player in attack, and his ability to step in at first receiver allowed Ford to sit that little bit deeper in the pocket and unpick Wales’ defence. 7
11 Henry Arundell: Continues to show his scoring touch, grabbing a first-half hat-trick with just four touches of the ball. Always found himself in the right areas at the right time to score, be it by holding his width for Ford to find him in space or getting onto the end of a break, and carried that on in the second with yet more exciting attacking flourishes. Proper poacher, and a properly exciting player. 8
10 George Ford: England’s play revolved around him today, yet again conducting things superbly. It was clear England had set their intentions on a kicking game to suffocate Wales, and he nailed it, but when the chance presented itself, he pulled the trigger ball-in-hand and got his side over the whitewash. It was far from flashy, but goodness me, it was effective. 8
9 Alex Mitchell: Nailed all the basics tonight in a steady effort. Distributed well out of a pretty messy ruck, and offered his usual threat when carrying at the fringes of the ruck. 7
First-half Henry Arundell hat-trick lights up England as sorry Wales cop another heavy loss
Back-row
8 Ben Earl: If he hadn’t done so already, now seems cemented in at number eight. Once again took a starring role for his side in attack, leading the way for both carries and metres come full-time, and grabbed a deserved score for his troubles. 8
7 Sam Underhill: Possibly a touch quieter than his back-row colleagues, but by no means a poor outing. Made his tackles when needed and looked to have a positive impact in the breakdown. 6
6 Guy Pepper: Continues to be a real defensive leader in this side, which is particularly pleasing given his cap tally. Topped the tackle charts for England at the time of his departure, making 14, and was always seen at the bottom of the ruck as well. 7
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Tight five
5 Ollie Chessum: Really stepped up to the plate today in an all-court effort. Carried really well both in the tight and in space, often finding himself darting through gaps like a centre, and bossed proceedings on either side of the lineout. 9
4 Alex Coles: Typical workhorse effort from the towering lock, who just threw himself into the battle up front and had a decent effect as a result. Solid in the lineout when called upon as well. 6
3 Joe Heyes: His improvement at this level has been well-documented, but this was another mature display in an England shirt. Tore through the Welsh pack in the scrum, and got heavily involved around the park as well. 7
2 Jamie George (c): Yet again rock solid in almost every facet of the game, helping lay the platform for his side’s dominant victory in the process. Contributed well to a strong scrum and was once again automatic at the lineout. 7
1 Ellis Genge: Like his prop partner, enjoyed a fine outing. Dominated his individual scrum battle, carried hard and only a brilliant cover tackle denied him a deserved try. Did concede a couple of needless penalties, but that doesn’t blot the copybook too much. 7
Replacements: It took a while to properly get going, but once the bench got into their groove, England ran away with it. All the replacements made a positive impact on proceedings, particularly Bevan Rodd, but as a collective, they gave their side that little extra boost. 6
