Match report:
When England went in at half-time 16-0 up, no one really expected that to be close. When Owen Farrell made it 19-0 early in the second half, England fans felt confident. When Farrell kicked his sixth penalty to make it 25-7 with 12 minutes to go, the game was pretty much safe for England.
And yet Wales still managed to make it a thriller. England lost their cool in the face of some ferocious running from the likes of North, Biggar, Jonathan Davies and Roberts. They scored two excellent late tries, in addition to the fortunate earlier one, and left the Twickenham crowd having palpitations. Had they played half that well for the first hour, rather than serving up the abysmal dross that they did, they would be walking away needing only to beat Italy to win the title.
As it is, England have a triple crown to their name. The dream of the grand slam is alive and well before they head to Paris next Saturday. Only the French can stop Eddie Jones’s side winning a first title in five years, and if they lose to Scotland in Edinburgh tomorrow then the Six Nations is England’s.
I need to go for a long, stiff drink. Thanks very much for reading and for all your tweets and emails. Sorry I couldn’t use them all. Bye!
Is everyone feeling all right?
Updated
Full-time: England 25-21 Wales!
Launchbury takes and Care thumps it into the stands!
80 min Owens overthrows but Francis secures it. Slow ball, Wales are 25 metres out. They go left and North charges, but he’s ushered towards touch by Tuilagi and can’t quite offload in time!
79 min Launchbury on for Kruis as North takes the restart and Wales run it back from deep. They get a penalty against man of the match Itoje, who goes off his feet. Priestland finds touch a metre or so outside the England 22 on the right!
Conversion (Priestland 78) England 25-21 Wales
Priestland fires it over from on the right and we have one hell of a finish coming up!
Try! (Faletau 77) England 25-19 Wales
Wales scent a mighty comeback here. They hammer away and Faletau slips between the weak tackles of Care and Cowan-Dickie to go over!
Updated
76 min Another change for England, with Daly replacing Joseph. Faletau charges down the right as Wales run it from the restart. Davies goes left and North flies down the wing before being dragged down on the 22 by three men. Still Wales come at the England line.
Try! (North 74 + Priestland con) England 25-14 Wales
Lovely from Wales. Liam Williams offloads to Jon Davies, who slices through and gives it left for North to run in from 20 metres. Priestland converts.
Updated
Surely Dan Cole’s yellow should have been rescinded as he was fouled there? Priestland is on for Wales.
73 min Farrell finds touch midway inside his own half on the left and Cowan-Dickie finds Kruis. England drive the maul up to the 10 metre line but it’s held up and Wales get the scrum.
There’s nothing in that I reckon. It was a swipe with the fingers by Francis on Cole’s face. “We’ve got to put it in the reckless category at least” says Joubert. As there’s no other footage to tell whether or not it’s deliberate, it’s just going to be a penalty to England.
“Reversing the penalty for fingers in the eye,” Joubert tells Francis. It wasn’t in the eye though.
TMO referral
It’s for contact made to the face of Dan Cole.
72 min Taken by Faletau again but it’s well defended, Cole getting through the middle. Hartley is offside though and Joubert threatens to bring out the yellow card. Back to the corner, back to Faletau and another maul. Another penalty, Cole collapsing the maul and that’s a yellow card for him. He’ll sit out the rest of this match, but he’s bought England a couple more minutes. Kieran Brookes and Luke Cowan-Dickie come on for Robshaw and Hartley.
71 min Taken by Faletau and Wales set the drive. They get a penalty for collapsing the maul, so Biggar pokes it into the corner. They need to score from this.
70 min Biggar steps past Farrell but is immediately brought down by Hartley. Wales recycle and Itoje shows is outstanding speed to catch Webb, but he doesn’t roll away and Biggar sticks the penalty into the 22, on the right.
69 min Clifford is on for Haskell. Care kicks long and Biggar runs it back. North goes hunting for gaps but England’s defence is too tight.
Penalty (Farrell 68) England 25-7 Wales
42 metres out, in line with the right-hand post. Through it goes and England move further away.
67 min Brown takes the restart and Care kicks long to Liam Williams, who can’t find a way past Tuilagi. Charteris takes it into contact but he’s thumped hard by Kruis and holds on, giving away yet another penalty. Chance again for Farrell.
Updated
Penalty (Farrell 66) England 22-7 Wales
From 40 metres, Farrell’s kick creeps inches inside the posts.
65 min Brown has a dart, up over halfway then Tuilagi makes his first carry. He’s stopped pretty much immediately but England do get a penalty for Wales’s failure to roll away. Farrell will kick for goal, looking for a much-needed three points after a period of Welsh territorial dominance.
64 min Changes. Youngs off for Care, AWJ replaced by Charteris and, most interestingly, Ford is off, replaced by Manu Tuilagi. Rhys Webb is back too, on for Gareth Davies.
63 min Roberts gets to Davies’s kick first but Itoje turns him over. England go right but it’s a bit scrappy and there’s a lack of accuracy to their passing. Roberts snaps up the loose ball and gets tackled into touch.
62 min Farrell finds a good touch down the right, up over his own 10 metre line. Itoje takes and Billy V drives up towards halfway. England unable to get any quick ball or forward momentum, so Youngs goes high and Liam Williams takes.
61 min England eventually come away from a mess of a scrum and get a penalty, against Tipuric for falling over the ball.
60 min “When the previous three were on we didn’t have pre-engagements,” Joubert tells the new Welsh front row. Instead of, I don’t know, penalising them for it. That won’t impress Dylan Hartley.
Updated
59 min Thrown long to Faletau and Roberts crashes it up. Jonathan Davies carries it on and tries to offload but the ball goes forward, curtailing North’s joy as he bundles over the line.
58 min Wales go left after quick lineout ball, with Biggar making great ground into the 22. Tipuric carries it on but he’s stripped very well by Nowell and Ford tries to run. He’s in trouble though, wrapped up and eventually Youngs can only clear to his 22. That was very poor from the Bath No10.
Updated
England make a change too, Mako Vunipola comes on for Joe Marler. Warburton gives a thumbs up as he departs on a stretcher. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious for him. We get back under way with Biggar just finding touch midway inside the England half on the right.
Warburton has taken a knock. He’s replaced by Justin Tipuric.
Joubert to Alun Wyn Jones: "So you're captain now, so when we talk it has to be really constructive. How does that sound?"
— Tom Hamilton (@tomESPNscrum) March 12, 2016
Updated
57 min This is brilliant from England. Ford cross-kicks to Robshaw, who pops it back inside to Hartley and he gives it to Nowell. The wing is dragged down and into touch as he flies into the 22, but we’re going back for a clear neck roll by Haskell on Liam Williams. Penalty Wales and that’s cost England a good position. Po’ little James Haskell is a victim of the video replay again.
56 min Biggar kicks straight to Brown, who flies up to the 22 but the ball goes loose when he goes into contact and Davies clears, with Biggar taking it well. G Davies chips over again for Liam Williams but Nowell fields well and England counter again. Now Watson catches Youngs’ box kick...
Updated
Try! (Biggar 54 + con) England 19-7 Wales
Farrell finds touch 10 metres outside his own 22 on the left. Wales change their entire front row. England win the lineout but Youngs’ pass to Ford is unsympathetic. The No10 doesn’t have the time to get his kick away, Biggar charges it down and touches down under the sticks!
Updated
53 min Penalty England, much to the delight of the Twickenham crowd. Samson Lee penalised for wheeling the scrum illegally.
52 min This time it comes out and Davies darts towards the line before being dragged down. They recycle but a few phases later Lydiate is scragged by Youngs. The ball gets stuck in the ruck and England get the turnover scrum.
51 min England need to be careful not concede the penalty try here. Wales have opted for another scrum. Clearly this isn’t great for the neutral, but it’s such an intriguing passage of play.
50 min Marler not pushing straight, another penalty.
49 min Wales will take another scrum. They’ve had the edge there at least.
48 min The scrum is a bit of a mess but G Davies comes darting off the back and Wales look to hammer away, but Biggar is wrapped up. Another penalty though, back at the scrum, against Dan Cole for slipping his bind.
@DanLucas86 your thoughts on Youngs's box-kicking?
— Roger McCann (@rogpineapple) March 12, 2016
Not at it’s worst, but perhaps a touch too long.
@DanLucas86 That's what England can do when they sort out their discipline! A great first half. Wales need to fight back, and they will.
— Tom Dodd (@tomdodd4598) March 12, 2016
47 min The short kick-off is tapped back on the Welsh side and Roberts makes a break down the right! On to Biggar and Cuthbert is dragged down just short of the line. Wales recycle, just five out and B Davies drives on. With the advantage they go left to Roberts, but he’s stopped and we go back for the Welsh penalty. Finally, some incisiveness from Wales, who opt for a scrum under the posts.
Penalty (Farrell 46) England 19-0 Wales
It’s a tough one, a long way out and wide on the right, but Farrell has his good boots on today and sends it sailing between the sticks.
44 min Biggar kicks shallow and across the pitch for North who takes it well and carries up towards the 10 metre line. Nice move that but Nowell wins the turnover on the floor! Hands in the ruck and England get another penalty.
“Every team will have an off day. Fine,” writes Matt Dony. “We all appreciate that. But not today. Please. In the ‘tempting fate’ department, should Wales turn this around, cocktails on Simon McMahon!”
43 min England recycle back inside but knock on in the tight. Shaun Edwards will be having kittens watching this.
42 min AWJ takes the lineout and G Davies kicks to Nowell inside the Wales half. Nowell cuts inside and slices the Wales defence to shreds. Left they go and Joseph gets up to within 15 metres.
Start of second half
41 min Biggar goes long to Vunipola., then Brown steps out of a Roberts tackle and surges up over halfway. Farrell kicks in behind North and finds touch just inside the Welsh 22. “Make that 20 missed tackles,” notes Shane Williams.
Wales missed 19 tackles, conceded eight penalties and lost two lineouts in that half.
Clive Woodward has been pretty blunt.
“Wales are so poor. I’d take all five loose forwards off”
It’s hard to disagree, to be honest. They’ve missed so, so many first-up tackles and pretty much given England the gainline.
Half-time: England 16-0 Wales
Free-kick to Wales as England engage early for a second time. Baldwin goes off his feet after a few phases and Brown kicks the penalty off the pitch.
That’s the end of an utterly dominant half from England. They’ve played all the rugby, Wales have been extraordinarily sloppy and the hosts should, probably, be out of sight already.
Updated
40 min Up and under from Ford, but Roberts just about takes. He offloads to Biggar, but there’s a knock on just before Cuthbert breaks on the outside down the right. Scrum England around about halfway.
39 min England get scrappy ball off the top of the lineout as AWJ makes a nuisance of himself. It’s kicked high and North takes, but he’s well stopped by a Marler-Ford combo. Biggar kicks and Nowell takes under no pressure from the chasers.
38 min Wales are up within 10 but England get the penalty! You won’t be surprised to hear it’s Itoje, over the ball with perfect body position and Baldwin holds on. Cleared to touch, 12 metres inside the England half on the right.
37 min For almost the first time England have to defend on their own 22 then. Itoje scrags G Davies and the Welsh forwards do very well to retain possession. Faletau, then Evans make ground.
36 min That’s a great scrum from Wales and they get the turnover. Penalty on halfway as Marler lost his bind. Biggar pops it into touch on the right on the 22 and AW Jones takes it. Wales form the slow driving maul then Roberts smashes into the gainline.
35 min The ball goes loose when Ford is crunched in midfield by Biggar, but Davies knocks on trying to gather. The Welsh No13 has really struggled so far. England scrum right on halfway.
34 min Gareth Davies goes down the left as Wales reclaim the kick-off, but he’s isolated and turned over by Itoje. It’s kicked back to Liam Williams and Nowell thumps him into touch despite the full-back leading with his shoulder.
Conversion (Farrell 33) England 16-0 Wales
Farrell pushes England further in front with a cool kick.
Try! (Watson 33) England 14-0 Wales
Quick ball off the top but Youngs’ pass is no good and England have no momentum. They do have Maro Itoje though and he uses that remarkable power to make the break, shrugging off Biggar and putting Brown away down the left. Watson is free outside him and Brown puts him in from 22 metres for a simple try!
Updated
31 min Back inside to Jonathan Davies, but he’s wrapped up and turned over by Haskell. England get the penalty and Youngs goes quickly, then chips in behind North. The Northampton man goes back and gives it to Biggar, who clears to touch eight metres outside his 22 on the left.
30 min Jonathan Davies clears with a low kick and the bounce wrongfoots Brown, who clears to Liam Williams. He returns with a high one and Watson catches, but Williams wins the turnover when the Bath man returns to ground.
This on Alex Cuthbert:
@DanLucas86 like a giraffe tied to a milk float
— Alvaro (@bearded_tit) March 12, 2016
29 min That was such a wonderfully athletic take from Watson, although he was up against Gareth Davies and had something of a height advantage. It looks like Bradley Davies has taken a knock somewhere.
Updated
28 min Biggar clears to Brown, then Ford kicks back to Cuthbert. He clears to Nowell who runs, then Brown is hit hard by Bradley Davies. Youngs goes high and Watson takes brilliantly! He knocks on in contact upon landing though.
27 min England win the lineout and crash it up in midfield, midway inside the Welsh half. Wales will be happy for them to keep doing this so Ford slips a kick through, but Liam Williams goes to ground and gathers it.
26 min Vunipola goes off the back of the scrum and offloads to Youngs, who can’t find a gap. Ford puts it up and Cuthbert fumbles the catch back towards his own line. He regathers but Brown is on top of him. Fortunately for Wales they get it back to Biggar and he makes the exit coolly.
24 min Cleared by Youngs and Cuthbert cuts through before being smothered by Itoje, who has been brilliant so far. It’s recycled inside and Biggar runs straight into Roberts, giving England the scrum for accidental offside.
23 min Biggar with an excellent touch-finder, down the right and into the England 22. Itoje steals Baldwin’s throw again though!
22 min Vunipola takes on the 22 and shrugs off Cuthbert. Youngs clears, Liam Williams takes and Wales attack the English line inside their own half. Penalty against Itoje for playing the ball on the floor.
Updated
Penalty (Farrell 21) England 9-0 Wales
Farrell is having a crack at goal. He’s 15 in from the left-hand touchline and about 35 out from the line, and drills it through.
20 min Farrell finds touch on the left inside the Welsh half, whence Hartley finds Itoje. Billy V drives on and England get another penalty, Lydiate this time not releasing after the tackle. The penalties are racking up for Wales.
19 min Youngs rolls the feed under Vunipola’s feet, which is ridiculous. Wales’ annoyance will be compounded as Samson Lee is penalised for wheeling the scrum.
18 min Kicked long to Watson and he wriggles out of the 22 before Farrell goes high and Biggar takes. Upon landing he offloads brilliantly to North who goes flying up to the 22 and is only stopped by an excellent tackle from Ford of all people. It’s recycled and swung right, but Baldwin knocks it on on the 22.
Penalty (Farrell 17) England 6-0 Wales
From right under the posts Farrell knocks over the three points. It’s 6-0 but England might feel it could be 14.
Updated
16 min The scrum is a mess and England get a penalty for Wales not pushing straight. That’s one for the England coaching team.
You could tell that Cole got his hand past Davies’s leg and over the line. David Flatman reckons he’s held up his own try.
Updated
No try
The footage is inconclusive. Five-metre scrum England.
Joubert didn’t see the grounding. On first replay it looks like Gareth Davies has got his leg under the ball.
TMO review
15 min Carried on under the posts now by Haskell and Robshaw, then Hartley to within a couple of metres. Cole picks it up and is driven by his pack over the line...
14 min England get it through the hands and Joseph uses that deceptive strength of his to make ground. Farrell stabs a kick through and the ball pings off a Welsh leg and into touch on the 22. Kruis takes and we’ve got another powerful driving maul here, Twickenham roaring in encouragement and Vunipola bursts towards the line.
Updated
13 min Free-kick to Wales for an early shove, which will please Robin McBryde. It’s kicked long to Brown who steps past two tackles to get up to halfway then Haskell carries well over the gainline.
12 min It’s very well defended though, Jones coming through the middle and earning his side a turnover scrum. That’s another missed opportunity from England.
11 min Short restart from Biggar but England claim it and immediately get a penalty as AW Jones doesn’t roll away from the breakdown. Farrell sends the kick into touch down the left, a good effort that goes up towards the 22. Kruis takes the throw and England form the driving maul.
Updated
Penalty (Farrell 10) England 3-0 Wales
From a few metres to the left and not too many out, Farrell gives England a well-deserved lead.
Updated
8 min Taken by Jones and Wales crash it up in midfield. A loose pass from G Davies means Wales lose ground so Biggar puts it up and Brown takes before putting Ford away through a gap and into the 22! Watson takes it on down the left, then they crash up to within 10 and get a penalty when Wales go off their feet.
Updated
6 min Itoje takes just inside his own half and Ford goes high, Williams with the take. Left they go and Cuthbert charges up towards halfway, but then it goes loose. Jon Davies grubbers through and Youngs spills it into Welsh hands, but they kick ahead and Hartley sweeps up on his own 22. Youngs clears to touch.
“Ah, the tension,” writes Matt Dony. “Already! Everything points to a Welsh victory. So why can’t I allow myself to believe? It’s going to be a long afternoon.”
5 min Itoje steals it! The ball bounces down and hits a Welsh leg on its way back into touch so England get the turnover. Hartley goes short to Robshaw then Vunipola takes it on the crash ball. Ford goes high but Liam Williams outjumps Brown to take it and Davies clears to touch.
4 min Penalty to Wales as Cole slips his bind. Biggar kicks to touch down the Wales left, five metres or so outside his own 22.
No try
Youngs grounded it short with his arm then dragged it over the line with his elbow. It’s given as a knock on, so Wales have a scrum five from their own line.
Updated
While we wait to check the grounding Darryl Penson writes: “It’s at Twickenham. England will take it by 2.”
TMO review
A knock on was given, but the touch judge encourages Joubert to review. The ball has in fact come back off Liam Williams, then Ben Youngs went to dot it down over the line. I don’t think he’s got pressure on the ball though.
3 min It’s a good solid one and Biggar clears to Watson, who runs back up over halfway. Youngs gets it out to Nowell who carries in midfield, then Brown goes surging through a huge gap! He tries to go inside the last man, Liam Williams, but is tackled and the ball goes loose.
Updated
2 min Vunipola takes it into contact but he’s held up and Wales get the scrum just inside their own 22. This is going to be interesting.
Kick-off!
1 min Craig Joubert – I know, I know – gives the signal and George Ford gets us under way. It’s deep and taken in the 22 then G Davies box kicks clear to Brown, who steps past one tackle before Warburton makes the tackle on the Wales 10 metre line. England carry it on then Hartley offloads brilliantly to Ford, who fires it wide to Nowell. The Exeter man carries up into the 22.
Anthems time. The players take to the pitch under bright but hazy south west London skies. Maybe this will be good?
From the other sport. You know, the lesser one.
Enjoying the Pre-match wordsearch from @officialbantams #bcafc pic.twitter.com/fUOzzR94zK
— Andrew Gibney (@Gibney_A) March 12, 2016
This looks like a fair assessment to me.
@DanLucas86 Wales have a lot more experience as a group expecting a ding dong battle but with Wales 2 prevail by a kick or 3 of DB's boot
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) March 12, 2016
Anyone fancy a go at calling this one? I’ve finally decided on Wales by three. Which will be awful from a personal perspective, as my flatmate is a Welsh fan.
OK, question for you to ponder before kick-off: imagine you’re Dylan Hartley. You’re three points down with four minutes to go. You get a kickable penalty. What do you do? (Smack/bite/gouge etc someone is not an acceptable answer).
Relive what happened last time right here.
Preamble
Afternoon, folks. It’s title-decider time! OK, not quite, but the winner here at Twickenham would have to pull one of the biggest Homers in Six Nations history not to go on and take the title. If England win and France lose to Scotland at Murrayfield tomorrow, then the title is theirs. Wales can’t win it today, but victory here would leave them only needing to beat Italy on the final weekend to take a fourth title of the Warren Gatland era.
In terms of a spectacle, we pretty well know what to expect. Wales have already said that they won’t be playing an expansive game, while the odds on Eddie Jones having given England license to throw the ball around from the off are Wade Dooley long. The expectation is that Wales, with the best kick chaser in rugby in Dan Biggar, will put England’s erratic back three under pressure with the high ball and send their superior back row in to win a bunch of penalties at the breakdown from the likes of Dan Cole and James Haskell. It’s been their way since the development of their world-class pack coincided with the retirement of Shane Williams in 2011.
England will want to keep their discipline, match Wales at the breakdown and vary their points of attack in the tight, stretching the Welsh and then unleash Manu and Daly from the bench. The athleticism of George Kruis – whose form is such that even having the great Alun Wyn Jones isn’t the advantage it once was – and Maro Itoje, plus the ball-carrying of Dylan Hartley and Billy Vunipola, will be key.
As for who’s going to win, it’s too tight to call. Biggar is lethal with the boot but then so is Owen Farrell. Billy V is finally becoming world class and regularly lasts the full 80, but Wales can match him with Taulupe Faletau. Wales will look to exploit George Ford’s channel but then England can prey on Gareth Davies’s tendency to get isolated. Tuilagi returns from injury as a game-changer from the bench, as does Rhys Webb. England have the most potent attack and the most parsimonious defence, but the latter is still the heart of Gatland’s game and Wales won’t let the English get away with leaving as many points on the pitch as Ireland did. Expect England to create the most chances, expect Wales to have the greater conversion rate.
Kick-off is at 4pm GMT. The teams are as follows:
England
M Brown; A Watson, J Joseph, O Farrell, J Nowell; G Ford, B Youngs; J Marler, D Hartley (capt), D Cole, M Itoje, G Kruis, C Robshaw, J Haskell, B Vunipola.
Replacements L Cowan-Dickie, M Vunipola, K Brookes, J Launchbury, J Clifford, D Care, M Tuilagi, E Daly
Wales
L Williams; A Cuthbert, J Davies, J Roberts, G North; D Biggar, G Davies; R Evans, S Baldwin, S Lee, B Davies, AW Jones, D Lydiate, S Warburton (capt), T Faletau.
Replacements K Owens, P James, T Francis, L Charteris, J Tipuric, R Webb, R Priestland, G Anscombe
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