Wales snatch shock victory
Wales pulled the carpet from under England's feet at Twickenham on Saturday, reversing two decades of hurt by conjuring up a famous 26-19 victory in one of the greatest comebacks in rugby history.
Wales pulled the carpet from under England's feet at Twickenham on Saturday, reversing two decades of hurt by conjuring up a famous 26-19 victory in one of the greatest comebacks in rugby history.
If that sounds like hyperbole, you were not there, you did not see.
England had complete control of the game in the first half as Wales – looking like virtual strangers – allowed them every opportunity to attack.
Those roles were reversed early in the second period as the men in red found their feet and the hosts collapsed into a comedy of nervous errors.
It's hard to know where to start the autopsy on this crazy lump of a game. Should we stick the knife into Wales for a woeful start or into the English for their pathetic demise?
Both sides deserve some needle – there was precious little quality in this game – but how the hosts managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory so emphatically will remain one of the great unsolved crimes of our times.
Wales coach Warren Gatland, now well on his way to being the next 'Great Redeemer', revealed that he kept his half-time talk simple: “Just respect the ball,” he told his troops.
It's a shame the walls of Twickenham are so thick – England could have benefited from that advice.
But in Brian Ashton's defence, there was no need for him to raise that point during the break. England's dominance of the first 40 minutes was overwhelming – almost embarrassing. Wales offered up more ball than England knew what to do with, and they duly squandered at least three clean breaks.
Quite how England did not take full advantage of the charity is a complete mystery – Wales were worse than awful. Their set-piece buckled at every opportunity, re-starts were gifted away, and their defence had more sign-posted gaps than the London Underground.
Worse still, communication and empathy between the massed ranks of Ospreys was virtually nonexistent. Bizarrely, it seemed as if they had just met at the Cabbage Patch pub prior to the game – and had a few drinks.
Perhaps it was all a clever rope-a-dope ruse. Despite leading by only ten points at the break, England would have sucked on their oranges feeling quietly confident of romping home in the second half – perhaps they then had a few drinks.
So did the canny Welsh knowingly lull their hosts into a false sense of security? Surely not. But when Wales began to click in the second half, England simply went to pieces.
The great Jonny Wilkinson, England's most capped player on the field and normally the personification of cool, began to flap about like a fish out of water. Iain Balshaw proved his detractors right to devastating effect. Andy Gomarsall wound himself up into an over-excited mess. The lillywhite forwards, so majestic in the first half, imploded into a musclar morass of nothingness.
This might be doing Wales's resurgence a grave injustice. They did step it up after the break, but only back to 'ordinary' – a move that, somehow, sent England tumbling all the way down the stairs.
Admittedly, England's cause was not helped by a rash of injuries in what turned out – as promised – to be a highly physical encounter.
Wales flank Jonathan Thomas was the first to go, left dazed by a robust Wilkinson tackle that could draw the attentions of the citing commissioner.
The home side then lost wing David Strettle, flank Lewis Moody, centre Mike Tindall and Moody's own replacement, Tom Rees. Mark Regan also aggravated his neck 'stinger' and was replaced by Lee Mears.
Strettle, who missed the World Cup campaign after breaking a bone in his foot during pre-tournament training, suffered an ankle problem, Moody picked up Achilles' tendon injury and his replacement Rees is said to have damaged knee ligaments.
The setbacks led to Ben Kay starting the second half as a loose forward, and there he remained.
Strettle's exit meant a debut for ex-Bradford Bulls star Lesley Vainikolo, the Tonga-born New Zealand RL international who qualifies for England on residency.
And Vainikolo provided a highlight of the game, with his delicate offload that led to centre Toby Flood touching down after 22 minutes.
Tindall's exit at around the hour mark paved the way for Danny Cipriani's Test debut, yet England's sheer lack of numbers and inexperience in key positions meant they spent the last 15 minutes desperately trying to hang on.
Inevitably, they failed.
And Ashton now faces an immediate post-mortem barely three months after the highs of reaching a second successive World Cup final.
England had no answers when Wales asked searching questions in the second half, with Wales's coaching dream team of Gatland, Shaun Edwards and Rob Howley putting a proud rugby nation on cloud nine.