Well what a result that is for England. They went into this match with nothing to lose, really, and have come away with a remarkable win. Yes they have greater strength in depth than other teams, but they can’t give everyone international experience and for such a novice group to come and win in one of the world’s most intimidating stadiums is remarkable.
Wales looked rusty, both sides made mistakes and you imagine both will up the intensity as the tournament progresses. I’m off to the subs desk now myself, so will wrap things up now.
Join me tomorrow for Italy v Ireland and then France v Scotland. Until then, g’night!
Full time! Wales 16-21 England
80 min Cuthbert takes it into a maul... he’s held up... and that’s it! England have come from behind to win in Cardiff!
Updated
80 min Brown with a great kick into the 22 and Easter follows it up with a strong tackle. Wales will have to go 80m here.
Penalty! Wales 16-21 England (Ford 79)
Ford... oh he’s got it! What a time to hold your nerve. Wales have a minute to get a try.
But first, a salient point.
@guardian_sport @DanLucas86 it's an absolute disgrace that North is still on the pitch. Can't believe concussion protocol has been followed.
— Kwallity Outlet (@Realkwallity) February 6, 2015
78 min Penalty to England! Twelvetrees gets himself over the ball and win the penalty 45m out, to the left. Ford is going to go for goal...
77 min Still inside the Welsh half and probably outside of Halfpenny’s range should England give away a penalty now. Crikey this is tense stuff.
76 min Wales win the lineout and look to run it, just 30m from their own line. They move it along the line and North gets up to halfway. It comes inside but they’re knocked back in the tackle by Billy Twelvetrees, who is on for Burrell.
Sorry, no try. Wales 16-18 England
Ah it looks like obstruction by Easter on Biggar several phases before the try. Penalty against Easter.
Oh no wait. We’re checking with the TMO again, this time for crossing. Anyway after several phases Brookes broke the line and from the next phase, Attwood drove over under the posts.
Try! Wales 16-23 England (Attwood 75)
!!!!!!
Updated
74 min England steal the lineout! What a chance this is.
73 min Wales win the scrum and kick long. England run it back through May and Haskell. Up to the Welsh 10m line and Brown sends a splendid low grubber kick down to within 5m of the line.
72 min Off go Samson Lee and George Kruis; on comes Aaron Jarvis and – at the age of 902 – Nick Easter.
71 min A superb take above his head, while leaping, by Leigh Halfpenny. He ghosts past the first man and is tackled well on the 10m line. Then Biggar sends it up high and the ball bounces nicely for Burrell. He breaks, making a good 30m, but then Brown knocks on what should have been the scoring pass!
70 min Wales have made a double change, bringing Phillips on for Webb and Charteris on for Ball. For England, Wigglesworth replaces Youngs, who has been very good since half-time.
69 min North takes the ball into contact and drops it. It looked to go backwards but Jerome Garces believes otherwise. He still looks really groggy after that bang to the head earlier, does North.
68 min Wales win the midfield scrum and Halfpenny goes on a diagonal dart from right to left. They’re making progress here Wales, with each maul making any forthcoming penalty that bit easier to knock over.
67 min Now England probe around the fringes, getting it through the hands in the middle of the park. Sadly for them, it comes off Burrell and goes to ground.
66 min Robshaw picks the ball up out of a ruck, which he thought was a maul, but the ball was on the floor so it’s a penalty to Wales on their own 22. Cleared upfield and Wales win the lineout. Davies takes it into a maul near halfway and England strip him of the ball!
65 min Samson Lee is penalised for taking the scrum down and England will be able to clear up the field. Which he does, excellently. “I am not enjoying the second half. Nerves kicking in, here,” says Matt Dony.
63 min So with just 17 minutes to go England are in front. What a turn-up this would be! Watson knocks on a high kick from Biggar though under pressure from North and Wales have a scrum on the left, 35m out.
Penalty Wales 16-18 England (Ford 62)
Gets it. Kieran Brookes of Newcastle is on for Cole.
61 min How was this not a try?! From the lineout England have advantage, but then Haskell breaks the line and looks certain to score. He’s clean through but is tackled into the post. He doesn’t look to ground it. We’re actually going for a review on Chris Robshaw’s urges.
Incidentally Cuthbert has been sin-binned for playing the ball on the ground and Paul James has replaced Gethin Jenkins.
No try as the ball wasn’t grounded against the foot of the post. Still, easy penalty this for Ford, 10m out and right in front.
59 min Ford puts up a high kick but it’s only shallow.
Still, May wins it and taps it back away from Cutbert for Brown. He’s tackled but the man doesn’t roll away and Ford kicks the penalty to touch down the left.
57 min Great defence on the floor by England. Wales win the line-out but they’re going backwards at the ruck and England earn a scrum up towards the 10m line.
56 min Well. England’s new look front row immediately concedes a penalty at the scrum. Biggar kicks to touch down the left for a line-out 25m out on the left.
55 min Marler and Hartley off for England, Mako Vunipola and Tom Youngs on. This was already going to happen right now, regardless of England’s momentum. Halfpenny is down having treatment after catching Haskell’s knee while getting up off the ground.
54 min The ball comes back to Biggar and he kicks into the 22. Brown fields it on the bounce, but then shanks his kick to just outside the 22 on the England right. Wales win the lineout but turn it over on the floor thanks to great work by Joe Marler.
53 min For the second time in the match, Hartley’s throw isn’t straight. England won’t mind another scrum too much though.
53 min At long last Biggar finds touch, on the Wales left, around the halfway line.
52 min Kicking.
51 min Youngs chips over the top and the bounce almost beats North, but he covers well and rampages back up the pitch. Wales looking to run it from their own 22 here.
50 min Scratch that, make it 45m out. Ford misses left though.
49 min This is great stuff from England, smashing the gainline. Lydiate doesn’t support his weight at the breakdown after tackling May and England have a penalty 37 or so metres out, just to the left of goal.
48 min A terrible throw again by Hibbard just outside the 22 and England get a free-kick.
47 min Hibbard overthrows a lineout and Hartley charges away from the back of the lineout. North does brilliantly at the breakdown and seals it off with no England support around and Hartley gives away a penalty.
46 min That was really poor tackling by North and Webb, but you have to give credit to Joseph for that lovely step. Still, a great high-tempo start to the half from England.
An easy conversion for Ford and at Wales 16-15 England there’s just a point in it. Swing Low rings out around Cardiff.
Try! Wales 16-13 England (Joseph 45)
England are patient and pick and drive through several phases. Now they go right and Joseph dummies, 5m out, then slips out of a double tackle from North and Webb to scamper under the posts!
Updated
43 min Attwood with a great drive up to within 10m now. Left it goes, through the hands to May, then back inside. Some nice offloading there from Burrell. 5m out now...
42 min Opportunity gone as Vunipola breaks Lydiate’s tackle but knocks on 5m out. Biggar clears, advantage is over and England run it back up with within 25m. Vunipola then carries up into the 22 but Wales remain solid.
41 min Off we go again and Ford kicks to the right. George North takes but then Webb makes a mistake with his clearance, box kicking to just a couple of metres outside the 22 on the England right. Attwood wins the lineout and a good maul takes England into the 22.
Players are coming back out.
Also thanks to David Edwards, who points out this excellent Game of Thrones themed Beeb bit.
Updated
Ominous stat time, if you’re an England fan:
Make it that Wales have won 97/101 Tests when leading by 8 or more at HT. England have lost 64/65 when down by 8 or more at HT.
— Russ Petty (@rpetty80) February 6, 2015
Half-time Wales 16-8 England
Well after an open, exciting first 20 minutes, I have to admit the degenerated a little into a hoofing exercise.
Drop goal! Wales 16-8 England (Biggar 40)
Now Wales get it through the hands and get up to the 22 on the left. Inside it comes, Webb fires it back to Biggar and from 35m he strokes a sweet drop goal under no pressure.
Updated
39 min It’s slowed down a fair bit this one. Neither side seems especially inclined to run with the ball.
38 min England look to wheel the scrum and concede a penalty. With two minutes to go until half-time, George North comes back on for Liam Williams, having been given the OK on the concussion front.
37 min Now England can build up a head of steam as Ford’s cute little dink over the top in the middle of the park is gathered by Joseph. He ships it right to Brown, who gets up to the 22 but then knocks on in the tackle.
36 min Kicking exchanges.
34 min Oh my, he’s hooked it left. That was a pretty straightforward kick for any kicker, let alone Halfpenny.
33 min England win the lineout and clear. Back come Wales, through Halfpenny, and when he’s tackled Dan Cole fails to roll away. A second kickable penalty, and almost certainly three points, against Cole.
32 min England collect the restart in their 22 but Watson looks to lay it too far back for his forwards and Williams snipes. He looks to grubber the loose ball into the in-goal area, but the ball goes to touch.
Penalty Wales 13-8 England (Ford 32)
Easily knocked over from 25m, dead in front.
31 min Liam Williams comes on for George North. The man-of-the-match in Wales’ win over South Africa goes to the wing. Anyhow, penalty England.
30 min We’re having a moment here for a concussion examination for George North, whose head met George Kruis’s boot.
29 min England win the ball from the lineout and are now camped around the Wales 22. Roberts is then penalised for an early tackle on May, who had come in off his wing to take Youngs’ delayed pass.
28 min Again the scrum is collapsed and that’s another penalty at the scrum to England. They’ve certainly got the nudge on Wales there, if nowhere else.
27 min Anyhow, Wales have knocked on on the England 10m line.
26 min England steal the lineout, but then Youngs becomes the latest player to have a kick charged down. The replays show that Watson didn’t actually take the ball back into the 22 and that was a bad call.
25 min Another Ford kick is charged down in midfield and Biggar kicks in behind Watson. The Bath man is aware to the danger and goes back to collect, but when he passes back to Brown inside the 22, the Quins man whacks it out on the full. Oh dear.
Penalty Wales 13-5 England (Halfpenny 24)
Giving away penalties around the 10m line really is a stupid idea when Leigh Halfpenny is in the opposition team.
Updated
23 min Slow, steady progress from Wales as they pick and drive around midfield. The ball goes loose and Davies has to go back to retrieve it, but Dan Cole sticks his hand in the ruck and gives away a needless penalty.
@DanLucas86 #Wales couldn't have asked for a better 10 mins. #England couldn't have asked for worse. #WalesvEngland #6Nations
— John Rogers (@JohnRogersShow) February 6, 2015
21 min Brown under the high ball and North wraps him, driving the England 15 right back into his 22. England do really well to retain possession and Youngs clears to touch on the England 10m line, on the right.
20 min Wales win the line-out but Robshaw cannily intercepts the pass. Kick tennis ensues though and neither side can gain advantage until...
19 min England get the ball back and Ford looks for Watson with the cross-kick. The winger wins it but then his offload is intercepted by Faletau. Wales kick the ball away but then Ford’s return kick is charged down. England scramble and put it into touch on their 22.
18 min England have a penalty from the kick-off and Ford kicks down the right and into touch on the 22. England win the lineout and Hartley peels off the maul and charges for the line. He’s taken down by Lydiate and, being isolated, holds on on the floor.
Ford’s kicking can be very flaky, so it’ll be interesting to see how this first kick – a tough one from the right-hand touchline – goes. He his the outside of the post and it remains 10-5.
Also my apologies, it was Watson who scored the try. The TV people got confused and announced it as Burrell, who was involved in the build-up.
Try! Wales 10-5 England (Watson 15)
Robshaw wins the lineout and look to maul it, with Burrell joining his pack. It doesn’t go anywhere but England retain possession. It goes right and Brown stabs a grubber kick through. Watson gives chase, picks up and dives over in the corner!
Updated
14 min Ford kicks to touch in the 22 on the left. Good chance this.
13 min England lineout on halfway on the left and Hartley’s throw is uncharacteristically inaccurate. No matter though as Dan Cole wins a penalty at the scrum
12 min Oof, Biggar’s nose went straight into Gethin Jenkins’ considerable head. There’s more blood than on a Slayer album. Wales win the line-out and Webb box kicks clear nicely.
12 min Dan Biggar is down receiving a hell of a lot of bandaging.
11 min Joseph almost goes through a gap. He’s caught but England have momentum now and Brown takes it up into the 22. He’s hammered into touch on the left by Cuthbert though.
10 min Brown takes Biggar’s clearance on the left-hand touchline. He gets up to the 22 and the ball is recycled right, Haskell making good ground. England keep possession but they’re going back here.
Halfpenny converts. Wales 10-0 England. That was brilliant from Faletau, reaching in and gathering the ball one-handed.
Try! Wales 8-0 England (Webb 8)
Wales are going backwards at the scrum but Faletau picks it up at the back, shrugs off Haskell and then offloads to Webb on the wraparound, the scrum-half diving over in the corner!
Updated
6 min Quick ball off the top for Wales and a clever chip from Biggar finds Halfpenny on the right. He chips ahead and though Watson gathers, he’s well wrapped up. England recycle and drive inside their 22 and Marler knocks on 5m from his own line. What a chance for Wales this is.
5 min England win the lineout on halfway and take it into contact, but Wales win the turnover on the floor. It goes left to Biggar, but he pokes a poor kick straight into the hands of Ford on the Wales left and he calls the mark, then finds a good touch up on halfway.
4 min Wales look to counter but the ball goes loose off Davies and bounces out into touch.
3 min Unlike Biggar, Ford kicks deep and Cutbert takes inside his 22, on the right. Webb box kicks clear to Brown and England have possession around halfway. Ford sends one up high that Halfpenny catches with ease.
Penalty (Halfpenny 2) Wales 3-0 England
It’s a very tough kick this one, but if anyone can get it... and get it Halfpenny does, with ease.
Updated
1 min It’s a short kick-off and Faletau takes it on the 10m line. The ball goes right and Jonny May fails to roll away from a ruck. Penalty 5m infield, 40m out and Halfpenny will kick for goal.
Updated
Peep! Finally! Jerome Garces blows his whistle and Dan Biggar gets us underway!
Updated
20.08: the Welsh anthem begins. Just look at the state of this.
Amid the bedlam, Wales finally emerge. England need to be braced for total chaos here, atmosphere raucous. pic.twitter.com/ld78LbeUAQ
— Dan Roan (@danroan) February 6, 2015
With six seconds to go until the allotted kick-off time, Sam Warburton runs out on his own. 23 seconds later, out jog the Wales team to fireworks, flamethrowers and, I’m sure, actual dragons.
@DanLucas86 No sport is undersold these days, but this is a bit much. If we get anything less than Ali vs Foreman, it'll be a let down.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) February 6, 2015
Updated
“Now, I have great respect for Robin Hazlehurst,” begins Matt Dony, “mainly for being consistently more insightful and witty than me on assorted MBMs, BUT, I have no idea what he’s doing fretting a g on the b-string in Australia.”
Yeah I have no idea about that one either. Explain yourself, Hazelhurst!
The teams are finally leaving the tunnel. They have two-and-a-half minutes for the anthems. The England team’s entry, into a darkened stadium with disco lights, looks like The X Factor or something.
Stat.
The 1st half is going to be crucial. England have never beaten Wales away in the #rbs6nations when they've been behind at half-time #WALvENG
— Accenture Rugby (@AccentureRugby) February 6, 2015
About the rugby then. The open roof will benefit England, whose game plan must be to keep the ball with the forwards for as much of the match as is humanly possible what with their makeshift back division. It’ll be a hell of a battle up front, with both packs evenly matched. I’d suggest the breakdown will be key as scrummaging will be a nightmare under the open roof.
Wales will want to unleash their absurdly enormous back line, with only Luther Burrell and Mike Brown considered strong defenders among England’s. And Burrell really did get a mauling at the hands of Roberts a couple of weeks back. My dad said that if Burrell was picked for England after that he might consider selling his ticket for this one. He did not, in the end.
We’ve also got some lovely pictures, courtesy of Tom Jenkins.
15 minutes to go! While we wait, here’s our own Rob Kitson on video previewing the match. You can hear what he sounds like and everything!
Right. Time for some predictions:
@DanLucas86 tough night ahead for England, the Welsh just have too much in every department. Double figures should be the difference!
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) February 6, 2015
I think you’re right, John. Wales by 15, I reckon. We’ve also had a few emails. Familiar names cropping up in my inbox, such as Simon McMahon...
“Evening Dan. While I like the 6 Nations, and Wales - England is a nice taster ahead of the main event in Paris tomorrow, watching Peter Gabriel Live in Athens 1987 on Sky Arts, flouncing around in a white leather jacket and black jeans, takes some beating. Looking forward to a real cinema show tonight.”
Robin Hazelhurst...
“I find using the third finger to bend the b-string on the eighth fret is the best way to play Australia. Love the Manics ever since I got on their mailing list before they were famous, but that still doesn’t stop me wanting Wales to ship a good spanking tonight. Not expecting it, but it’s the 6N opener, who wants realism or reasonableness?! Oh, scuse me, got a pub to get to, sharpish!”
The B string? On that riff? I play it all on the bottom three strings – it’s actually not dissimilar to Radiohead’s High and Dry. Anyhow, Matt Dony is also with us:
“I’ve spent the day getting in the mood by bitterly reflecting on the fact that my wife is in Cardiff tonight, while I stay home with a 3 year old son and pizza. And he’s gone to bed, so I’ll be watching the match on my own, trying to stay quiet. Still, I hope she has fun. Honest, guv(!). Also, and less rugby-related, your girlfriend is right. I don’t actually dislike Motorcycle Emptiness, but it’s been overplayed, and probably isn’t even in the top 40 or so Manics songs. They have so much more to them!”
It’s top three, easily. Their most overrated is You Love Us, which Jamie Roberts played on stage with the band on the Lions tour in 2013.
Oh what? They’re doing the half-and-half scarf for THIS now?! I can’t imagine they’re selling many around Caroline Street right now.
“Evening Dan.” Evening, Chris Drew. “In a world cup year, no-one should forget that this is only a stepping stone on the road to further, and far more important things...
NAH!”
Sigh. It’s going to be a long old night for us England fans.
So how have you been getting in the mood? FOR THE RUGBY, you smutty so-and-so. I’ve spent today playing Manic Street Preachers songs on the guitar. Finally nailed the riff on Australia. Funny one actually, I’m not a huge Manics fan, but my girlfriend is and she DOESN’T like Motorcycle Emptiness. Crazy stuff.
Preamble
Evening folks. In four days time I’ll get the televisual equivalent of that forgotten, unwrapped late Christmas present: a Breaking Bad spin-off. It looks brilliant; I’m giddy like a kid on, well, on Christmas day. At a fireworks, candy and puppy dog store. With Bill Murray.
And yet. And yet it’s only the second-most exciting thing about the next four days, as far as I’m concerned. Because, as you may have guessed before clicking on to this MBM, the Six Nations is back! Remember the Six Nations? It’s back, in England-v-Wales-on-Friday-night-in-Cardiff-in-World-Cup-in-England-year form!
There is little better than the Millennium Stadium on Six Nations night. Roof open or closed (it’ll be open) the atmosphere sizzles like a Natalie Imbruglia video (happy 40th birthday for earlier this week to Miss Imbruglia, incidentally, depressing-birthday fans) especially when the opposition is England. Apparently there’s a bit of enmity between the two sides or something.
Actually ignore the World Cup. Yes, these two sides will meet in the pool stage in September, but this injury-ravaged England side could well look entirely different in seven months’ time. Most right-minded people expect a Wales win and for my money it’ll be a comfortable one at that – the savaging Luther Burrell received from his opposite number tonight, Jamie Roberts, when Northampton hosted Racing Metro a few weeks ago lingers in the memory. Indeed the only World Cup-related significance tonight will have is if either (a) England lose a host more players to bad injuries or (b) Wales struggle.
So let’s enjoy what I imagine will be a tough, bruising, meaty spectacular in its own right. It’s the bloody Six Nations opener in England-v-Wales-on-Friday-night-in-Cardiff-in-World-Cup-in-England-year form, for eff’s sake!
Kick-off is at 8.05pm Wales time. Which is also 8.05pm English time, handily enough. Here are your teams:
Wales
15-Leigh Halfpenny, 14-Alex Cuthbert, 13-Jonathan Davies, 12-Jamie Roberts, 11-George North, 10-Dan Biggar, 9-Rhys Webb; 1-Gethin Jenkins, 2-Richard Hibbard, 3-Sampson Lee, 4-Jake Ball, 5-Alun-Wyn Jones, 6-Dan Lydiate, 7-Sam Warburton, 8-Taulupe Faletau
Replacements: 16-Scott Baldwin, 17-Paul James, 18-Aaron Jarvis, 19-Luke Charteris, 20-Justin Tipuric, 21-Mike Phillips, 22-Rhys Priestland, 23-Liam Williams.
England
15-Mike Brown, 14-Anthony Watson, 13-Jonathan Joseph, 12-Luther Burrell, 11-Jonny May, 10-George Ford, 9-Ben Youngs-; 1-Joe Marler, 2-Dylan Hartley, 3-Dan Cole, 4-Dave Attwood, 5-George Kruis, 6-James Haskell, 7-Chris Robshaw (captain), 8-Billy Vunipola
Replacements: 16-Tom Youngs, 17-Mako Vunipola, 18-Kieran Brookes, 19-Tom Croft, 20-Nick Easter, 21-Richard Wigglesworth, 22-Danny Cipriani, 23-Billy Twelvetrees
Dan will be here shortly. In the meantime, here are Sam Warburton’s thoughts on England, looking ahead to the game:
“The game is slowly changing. Teams are kicking a lot more now. A couple of years ago, ball in play was a big factor but now the kicking game is among the top three aspects [that influence a match]: attacking kicks, turning the wingers and asking a team to get away from their five-metre line from a lineout as you apply pressure on the set piece.
“I remember watching England a couple of years ago against Australia and being impressed by the way they went into the contact area so fiercely that they forced the Wallabies to adopt a kicking game. When it comes to England’s style, we have to prepare for both and it is now about mixing things up.
“Three or four-second tackles are a win nowadays because you have slowed the ball down,” sad Warburton. “If you go for a low-leg chop and no one comes in over the ball, it will be away quicker than if you went higher and tried to choke someone. England are effective in that area, putting pressure on the scrum-half. It will be a big way for them to stop our possession and Haskell is an extremely strong guy. England are one of the most difficult sides I have played against at the breakdown: I find games against them extremely tough but I love that physical challenge.”
And here are some thoughts from Stuart Lancaster on Wales:
“The odds are irrelevant to me. We respect their British Lions but, equally, we have confidence and belief we can do the job. We definitely believe we can go there and win. If we don’t believe that, we’ll have no chance.”
And, finally, here are the two teams’ stats from last year’s Six Nations:
