England player ratings: Magnificent displays all-round as Curry twins star and age-grade sensation has ‘perfect’ debut
The Curry twins, Tom and Ben, in action for England against Wales, and Henry Pollock hugging Chandler Cunningham-South.
Following a thumping 68-14 victory over Wales in the Six Nations clash at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, here are the player ratings for England.
15 Marcus Smith: He remains slightly skittish at full-back but Smith’s high ball work has improved immensely while he was always scanning and creating opportunities with ball in hand. Also tidied up well when Wales found space with their kicking game. 8
14 Tom Roebuck: That was some first international start from the talented wing. Marked it with a brilliant finish before he continually wreaked havoc with his work in the air. Also carried hard with ball in hand. 8
Risk pays off
13 Tommy Freeman: Moved to centre as Steve Borthwick made a bold call but it paid off, despite one defensive lapse. Was physical and combined well at centre with his club-mate. 8
12 Fraser Dingwall: Described as the glue in the England backline and it has certainly functioned much better over the past two rounds. It’s difficult to say whether Dingwall has made that difference, but he has always been highly rated over his ability to organise, spot space and distribute. Nothing flashy but one feels that his influence is perhaps not shown by the number of touches he has on the ball. 7
11 Elliot Daly: Has looked rejuvenated in this Six Nations and once again produced another fine showing. Carried hard off first phase and also did plenty of good work aerially. 7
10 Fin Smith: Very much the first choice fly-half now and could well get a British and Irish Lions call-up. At the moment, he looks a much more complete player than someone like Sam Prendergast. Dictated the game while on the field. 8
9 Alex Mitchell: One error aside, it was another super showing from the scrum-half. His kicking was a key part of England getting dominance but he was also sharp from the base when they went through the phases. 8
8 Ben Earl: Never stopped carrying, including when he went to centre for the final 30 minutes. Slotted in well in the midfield but still did his forward duties as England found the latest hybrid player. 8
Twin trouble
7 Ben Curry: Delighted for the Sale Sharks openside, who has arguably been England’s best player in this tournament. Ben has bided his time but he very much took his opportunity in the 2025 Six Nations with some wonderful breakdown work and excellent link play. 9
6 Tom Curry: People question whether the Currys could play in the same back-row, given their genetic similarities, but they have proved them wrong. Tom, like his brother, was superb. 8
5 Ollie Chessum: Started well but unfortunately had to go off at the end of the first quarter after seemingly taking a knock to the head. 6
4 Maro Itoje (c): Captain fantastic with the lock leading by example throughout the tournament. In Cardiff, Itoje was absolutely elite. A couple of needless penalties at the start of the second period slightly blotted the copybook but he was otherwise faultless. 9
Brilliant props
3 Will Stuart: Over the years we have questioned whether the tighthead was a Test player but he has been England’s most improved player over the past few months. Superb scrummaging and equally as good in the loose, where he deserved his try with what is in danger of becoming a trademark step. Taken off early in the second period but that was not performance-related, with Borthwick using the opportunity to give Joe Heyes a lengthy spell on the field. 9
2 Luke Cowan-Dickie: Did his job very effectively. Despite losing Chessum, the lineout continued to work efficiently and Cowan-Dickie has to take plenty of credit for that. 7
1 Ellis Genge: A monster display from the loosehead, who never stopped working. Some big carries, dominant scrummaging and his day was topped off by his head assisting Stuart’s try. The Lions loosehead this summer? 9
Replacements: There were worries over the lack of lock cover but Chandler Cunningham-South filled in magnificently when Chessum went off and bagged himself a brace. Elsewhere, the replacement front-row continued the good work of the starters, George Ford brought his class to proceedings and then there was Henry Pollock. As debuts go, it was pretty much perfect as the flanker touched down twice and was a ubiquitous presence on both sides of the ball. 9
