Warren Gatland is offering his take:
“I can’t be critical of the effort, but we need to be tough on ourselves with the thing we can be better at, particularly the transition from attack to defence. The message at half-time was to stay in the arm wrestle, but we gave away some critical turnovers and a few dropped balls at the wrong time. We need to work on getting over the ball a bit quicker [at the breakdown] and not going to ground as easily.”
Freddie Steward was given Man Of The Match for executing bog standard catches off loads of mostly terrible Wales kicks, which rather sums up the contest
Owen Farrell is talking to the BBC
“I thought it was step forward for us, we’re at the start of our journey and this was another challenge for us. We had a job to do and we took a step forward. Sometimes the game is about building pressure, and we should have had more points and I wasn’t great off the tee; but I thought we dominated the last twenty. “
I realise that there are some stock phrases that are said post match, but if that really was the gameplan Wales want to stick to then that is very worrying. Even more perturbing is the fact they cannot seem to score via any route they build themselves.
Ken Owens is trying to make sense of it all
“We spoke about the emotion of the last two weeks, and we gave a massive effort, we were right in the game throughout. We’re in a rebuilding phase but we’ve got to rebuild pretty quick, but we stuck to our gameplan but came up short.
The last two weeks have taken their toll, but we can’t blame that, and we need to work together as a whole and improve.”
“This is turgid stuff” ventures Reg Gorczynski, “how on earth did England win against Italy, do either of these teams harbour any hope for the world Cup?”
If they do, then they need a word with themselves.
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FULL TIME!
England win in Cardiff for first time since 2017.
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79 mins. In a move that sums up the entire game for Wales, the ball is slowly flung across the line to Tompkins who has nowhere to go and so just trucks it up into Farrell who holds him up and wins a choke-tackle scrum.
78 mins. Wales have the ball around halfway as England cover the whole field in a white wall of defence. It’s all very one man out from the home side.
That was some sensible and patient work by England, but the entire possession stemmed from that terrible Hardy pass and Brad Roberts being unable to hit a lineout since he replaced Owens at hooker.
TRY! Wales 10 - 20 England (Ollie Lawrence)
75 mins. A solid set of phases, regularly changing the point of attack and pulling the Wales defence around, ends with Lawrence diving into the left corner dab down one-handed.
Farrell slices his kick again
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Subs update.
Kieran Hardy and Bradley Roberts on for Tomos Williams and Ken Owens.
Courtney Lawes and Alex Mitchell has replaced Alex Dombrandt and Jack van Poortvliet.
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70 mins. Kieran Hardy is on and he throws an awful pass in front of his players that Lawrence grabs and looks to run before an heroic effort by Tompkins hauls him down before he can get into his stride. This allows England to cross into the Wales half and up to the line with some threat before Tipuric clamps on with one of his specials to win a penalty.
68 mins. There’s period of possession for Wales and they are working phases around the England five metre line. It’s mostly laboured other than a couple of offloads and some buzzing chaos energy from Tompkins, which forces Biggar to kick it away. However, Van Poortvliet slices his return kick to touch and Wales will come again from a lineout.
65 mins. After some time, Wales are back in the England half and a knock-on from the visitors will give a scrum to the home side. The ball is worked from the base by Faletau, but the first contact sees England rip the ball back into their possession with ease.
Tommy Reffell and Daf Jenkins have replaced Christ Tshiunza and Alun Wyn Jones
Dan Cole is on for Kyle Sinckler.
MISSED PENALTY! Wales 10 - 15 England (Owen Farrell)
61 mins. Wales are pinged for early engagement again, and because it’s a repeat offence it becomes a penalty. Farrell decides it’s time to take the score beyond a converted try but he pushes it right of the posts.
That kick confirming that everything in this game is utter dreck.
59 mins. Nothing comes from the platform after England kick early and then knock-on in the chase. There’s a glimpse of space when the visitors return the ball through Slade run after Wales clear it, but his grubber into the in-goal goes dead.
Jack Willis is off for Ben Curry.
56 mins. The commentary team have just described the game as “a real dogfight”, which is code for how awful it is.
England have a scrum to attack from just in the Wales half.
Other subs:
Mako Vunipola comes on for Ellis Genge.
Nick Tompkins is on for Josh Adams. This will see Grady go to the wing, I think.
Dillon Lewis and Rhys Carré are on in the front row for Tomas Francis and Gareth Thomas
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54 mins. Neither team able to muster anything of note in the previous five minutes other than towering kicks and some impressive takes by Steward and Owen Williams. On the latest take by Williams he takes a knock to his hip and he’s off and replaced by Dan Biggar.
49 mins. Tomos Williams quick taps a penalty at a scrum and feeds the ball left into his backline, but as the tackle completes Wales can’t resource the clearout (again) and it’s penalty to England (again). Daft decision by the Wales scrum half.
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TRY! Wales 10 - 15 England (Kyle Sinckler)
44 mins. Owen Williams is penalised for taking an extra roll in a tackle after he charges down a Farrell kick. From the lineout England carry hard through Genge up to the line before Sinckler forces over the line covered in Wales defenders, but Ref Raynal has no problem awarding it through the crowd.
Farrell converts it.
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TRY! Wales 10 - 8 England (Louis Rees-Zammit)
41 mins. England work the ball left slowly and laterally, which allows Rees-Zammit to simply walk into the line grab the ball and sprint under the posts.
Halfpenny converts.
And just like that, Wales are ahead. What a strange game.
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SECOND HALF!
Owen Farrell floats the ball into the air to commence the half.
A truly horrible half of rugby punctuated with one decent pattern and move for the Watson try.
Wales’s kicking game is appalling, their defence of Halfpenny receiving kicks is woeful and their attack is mostly two passes out to static runners which the England midfield is devouring with ease. Also, their lack of dynamic clearouts of their own rucks is lamentable.
England have been better, but a long way from good themselves and it’s criminal they are only five points up.
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HALF TIME!
That’s the end of the half and Wales should take positives from only being five points behind.
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40 mins. The ball is back in Wales hands as the clock goes into the red and the possession enters the England 22. Gareth Thomas hits a delightful angle to drive closer to the line, but the ball is too slow again and poor clearing at the ruck lets Ludlam clamp on the ball.
38 mins. Wales put some phases together in the England half, twenty of them in fact, the best moment coming when Rees-Zammit loops off his wing to take the ball through a hole and in behind. He just can’t get away and a few phases later Dombrandt jackals the ball to win a penalty.
34 mins. There’s been a rise-repeat cycle happening here: Wales kicking the ball to Steward for him to claim the ball imperiously to launch another attack that inevitably breaks down, which Wales kick back to Steward….
Repeat ad nauseam to fade…
PENALTY! Wales 3 - 8 England (Owen Farrell)
31 mins. Francis is penalised at the scrum for pulling down and having too short a bind. Farrell calls for the tee too extend the lead but misdirects his kick.
27 mins. Tomos Williams takes a quick tap penalty and runs into the England half before the white scramble defence covers. After that there’s a couple of two-passes-out attacks from Wales that are too slow and too flat (and not a very good idea to start with), that England eventually clamp onto at the breakdown to win a penalty.
23 mins. Wales’s gameplan is clearly kick to compete, but they’re not competing very well. Nor are they kicking very well.
PENALTY! Wales 3 - 8 England (Leigh Halfpenny)
21 mins. England are offside from the kick-off and Halfpenny gobbles up the opportunity from tee.
TRY! Wales 0 - 8 England (Anthony Watson)
18 mins. From a lovely first phase pattern off a lineout, Lawrence takes a pop pass on into the 22. The ball is very quickly recycled and there’s a four on two overlap for Dombrandt to fire a pass to Watson who finishes well in the left corner.
Farrell can’t convert.
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16 mins. Having covered the Italy vs Ireland game earlier, I can state without any doubt that both the teams here are the worst of the day by a long chalk.
15 mins. England have a lineout on the Wales 10m line that is won cleanly and worked quickly through hands. The backs are busy with the ball, lots of fast hands and pop passes before Sinckler blocks Tipuric to give Wales a penalty.
12 mins. Another period of kicking eventually results in Wales running the ball left, with Mason Grady getting his first dart with the ball, stepping off his right foot and passing to Adams who hacks it on to nothing.
PENALTY! Wales 0 - 3 England (Owen Farrell)
9 mins. Dombrandt takes a good catch after chasing a kick and when the ball is recycled Alun Wyn Jones is penalised for not rolling away. Farrell decides to get some points on the board and duly executes.
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7 mins. England are up to nine phases before the Faletau grips the ball for a fair turnover at the breakdown. It looked very much like he was lying on top for me, but the ref disagrees so we play on with a couple of kicks back and forth, neither of which are up to much.
5 mins. The first scrum of the game is a Wales one on halfway, but Ref Raynal blows up and awards a free kick to England for early engagement by the home pack. The visitors have their first attack, with some quick recycling nearly getting Slade away on the left touchline.
2 mins. Some tidy drills from both sides; England with the kick-off exit then Wales with a sensible lineout and kick in return. There’s some excitement as Faletau chases his own chargedown of a Farrell kick, but Steward sorts it.
KICK OFF!
The crowd count down and Owen Williams boots the game into life.
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It’s flame throwers and Metallica time as the teams enter the smoky cauldron of the stadium.
There’ll be a moment to remember the great, recently departed, Charlie Faulkner before the anthems are sung.
Pre match reading.
What must Wales do today after this week? Rob Kitson considers this here…
Teams
Warren Gatland took a look at the Scotland game tape and decided it was a “let’s make nine changes” sort of performance.
Louis Rees-Zammit is fit again and back on the wing, with Leigh Halfpenny hoping to finally make it through a warm-up unscathed to start at fullback. George North’s performance was so lacking vs the Scots that he’s out of the squad completely and replaced by Cardiff’s uncapped Mason Grady who will partner Joe Hawkins in a very young centre partnership. Dan Biggar is sent to the bench as the Kiwi coach prefers a half-back pair of Owen Williams and Tomos Williams.
In the forwards, Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Falatau regain their starting places in the back row, plus Alun Wyn Jones and Adam Beard reunite in the locks.
Far fewer changes for England, all injury related. Anthony Watson starts on the wing due to Olly Hassell-Collins picking up a knock and Courtney Lawes’s return from the treatment table puts him on the bench.
Wales: Leigh Halfpenny, Josh Adams, Mason Grady, Joe Hawkins, Louis Rees-Zammit; Owen Williams, Tomos Williams; Gareth Thomas, Ken Owens (captain), Tomas Francis, Adam Beard, Alun Wyn Jones, Christ Tshiunza, Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faletau
Replacements: Bradley Roberts, Rhys Carre, Dillon Lewis, Dafydd Jenkins, Tommy Reffell, Kieran Hardy, Dan Biggar, Nick Tompkins
England: Freddie Steward; Max Malins, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence, Anthony Watson; Owen Farrell (captain), Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Lewis Ludlam, Jack Willis, Alex Dombrandt
Replacements: Jack Walker, Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, Courtney Lawes, Ben Curry, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Henry Arundell
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Preamble
It’s been the worst week in Welsh rugby since, er, last week. The threat of player industrial action was added to the non-exhaustive list of misogynistic culture, terrible governance and funding rows that have swirled around the WRU for pretty much all of 2023 so far. As late as Wednesday afternoon there were no guarantees the match would go ahead, until some up to the wire negotiations gave the players more of what they reasonably wanted and Warren Gatland could breathe a sigh of relief and name his side. You have to conclude the WRU didn’t pitch all this mess to the Kiwi when they wooed him back just a few months ago, and Gatland’s due diligence processes clearly need some work.
But never mind all that, the game is most definitely on and Cardiff will welcome England in the only way it knows how: disdain.
Steve Borthwick and his team arrive with a mixed bag of results and performances that he is very keen to stress is work in progress, but they do the helpful advantages of a consistent approach in terms of selection and not nearly going on strike following a fortnight long argument with their employers.
The Wales squad do not have such positives, but will be in full siege mentality mode after a mortifying opening two rounds and the rest of the rugby world pointing and smirking at what captain Ken Owens calls a “laughing stock”.
It’s easy to forget that despite being a tournament many of the games in the Six Nations are essentially one-off Test matches, where form is sometimes less important coming in than the intangibles of motivation, anger, and all-consuming will to stick it an old enemy. Wales have 1993, 2012, 2013 and 2019 to point to as examples of winning when it wasn’t really fancied, with many of those encounters against England teams better placed that this one.
However, the drawback today is those previous Wales sides were nowhere near this level of shambles, either.
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