Wales v England: Five takeaways as visitors brutally ‘dismantle’ sorry Welsh in one of the greatest performances of recent times
Our five takeaways from England's emphatic victory at the Principality Stadium.
Following England’s 68-14 victory over Wales in Cardiff, here are our five takeaways from the round five Six Nations clash.
Records smashed
Who saw that coming? The moment that was billed as the start of Wales‘ second coming, the game that many had suggested would see the end of their losing streak was over as a contest in the first quarter, as England produced one of their greatest performances of recent times, simply blowing Wales off the park as they hammered them 68-14.
It was brutal, it was magnificent but had it been a boxing match the referee would have called it off after the first round as England found pace and width that few saw coming as they ran in 10 incredible tries in a quite magnificent display of continuity and ambition.
The tries came from Maro Itoje, Tom Roebuck, Tommy Freeman, Chandler Cunningham-South (2), Will Stuart, Alex Mitchell, Henry Pollock and Joe Heyes as England made hay in the Principality.
Wales grabbed a couple back courtesy of a brace from Ben Thomas but other than his individual moments, errors, lack of power and lack of pace plagued the Welsh performance as they fell apart under the pressure of the white tidal wave that crossed the Severn Bridge.
Width and pace
England’s evolution as an attacking side with ball in hand in this game was clear for all to see. Breathtaking width and pace, created by a real team ethic and ambition, was a feature of England’s game from the very first moment.
At the centre of England’s rejuvenation with ball in hand was the trio that originally combined by accident but now are picked by design – the lightning quick back-row. They were blistering in every aspect, both sides of the ball, showcasing every skill in the flanker’s tool box.
Tom Curry, a man who’s improved his lineout no end through necessity, was everywhere; turnovers, tries, key tackles but above all, the application of suffocating pressure into the Welsh midfield. Alongside him Ben Earl simply stood up and showed why he’s rated so highly by the England management as he ignited England’s attacking efforts with some enormous carries into the heart of the Welsh midfield.
Alongside the back-row, the man England call their glue player, Fraser Dingwall added so much in terms of shape. It was his handling that led to the Freeman try as he held his man and timed his pass to absolute perfection. Dingwall’s selfless play unlocks so much for those around him and his inclusion, and that of Roebuck on the right wing, has really moved the England ambition on in leaps and bounds. It was so far removed from some of the stodge that Steve Borthwick’s men have been guilty of in the past as Cardiff was served a rugby dish of refinement, balance and incredible depth of flavour.
New faces
Pollock has impudence.
His first intervention in Test rugby was lying on the bottom of a ruck and illegally holding Welsh prop Gareth Thomas into the ruck by his sock. The loosehead reacted at such brazen brassneck from a youngster that really should have been wearing a prefect badge on his chest rather than the England rose, piled wildly into both the ruck and Pollock, and referee Nic Berry blew for ‘penalty white’. 1-0 Pollock.
A few moments later, after popping up hither and thither in midfield Pollock found himself on the edge of the Welsh defence and simply gassed their fringe defence to hammer over to score a try on his Test debut. And to cap it all, he added another deep into the final throes of the match. Of course he did. It really was that kind of day for England, especially a member of that simply astonishing back-row performance.
Rather less conspicuous but no less effective was Roebuck, absolutely massive on the wing and so agile for a 6’3″ three quarter. Roebuck looked sharp, balanced, brilliant in the air, but England used hom so effectively – swapping him and Daly so many times so that the Sale man spent a lot of time on the openside wing, to maximise his aerial ability of cross field kicks.
With Cunningham-South crashing over for a brace, Dingwall shining in every aspect of his match and even Heyes grabbing a moment of personal glory, it was a magnificent display by England’s young guns – but it was Pollock who will grab the headlines. Yes, he’s impudent. Big time.
Wales collapse
When English fans turn to Welsh fans and tell them how sorry they are that Wales are this bad, then you know something is very rotten in the Principality.
This was a game that many pundits suggested was the moment Wales ended their losing streak, the big revival the big Welsh turnaround. Sadly, the only thing Welsh that turned around effectively was the bit of the scoreboard prefixed with the word ‘England’ as the operators put themselves in fear of a cardiac arrest attempting to keep up with the visitors’ scoring.
The superpower of the Matt Sherratt version of Wales looked to be their back-row – Lions legend Taulupe Faletau, Lions elect Jac Morgan and Aaron Wainwright, a formidable trio – but to a man they were blown away in every aspect – collision, power, carry, tackle and jackal all went England’s way as the one area of excellence for Wales was dismantled as clinically as you’d like.
Other than some darting runs by Blair Murray, a constant threat at the back, Wales looked beyond hope. They lost every single contest in the match, convincingly and conclusively. It’s a sad day for a rugby culture that defines so much that’s both good and important in British rugby as Wales conc eded their record margin and record total against England in Cardiff.
Put simply – where do Wales go from here? The Sherratt turnaround is no more; they’re holding onto their Test status by fingernails of pride and there simply is no light at the end of the tunnel.
It really is that bad.
Lions elect
Sport and selection is always about timing and Lions selection is a living example of that theory. As Wales decline continues, players that were shoo-ins even six months ago are seeing their chances diminish into dust. Out of the players we saw today, it’s hard to make a case for any of them, even captain fantastic Morgan, who was blown off the park by Ben Curry and Pollock.
Whilst Wales wither, England grow. On the basis of the showing today it’s a case of perm three or four of those fabulous back-rowers – with Tom Curry and Earl probably already looking at their Qantas Seat Selection app on the drive home from Cardiff.
At half-back, Fin Smith is a definite, whilst Mitchell returned to the reckoning today with an assured display. His namesake will tour as a utility back, and it’s certain that the front five starters England fielded today will go en masse.
It may not be fair, and if Morgan missed out on selection due to his performance today, it would be a travesty. But outside of him and possibly Murray, Faletau and Dewi Lake, it’s hard to see any of these players making a trip down under this summer unless it’s in the role of spectator.
READ MORE 👉 Wales v England, AS IT HAPPENED: How the Six Nations clash unfolded