It was high redemption for England in Cardiff as they overcame an eight point deficit with a dominant second half performance that sent Welsh fans reeling. It’s hard to say where exactly things went wrong, but a very simplified diagnosis is that England raised their game at halftime, and Wales didn’t. The red jerseys blasted out of the gate and after a dozen minutes it looked like England might as well get back on the bus, but while the visitors found their confidence and with it their stride, the home side wilted and by the end it was they who were the passengers.
James Haskell was guilty of allowing Toby Faletau to get away from the scrum that put Rhys Webb in around the corner. Nobody would have been more disappointed than himself, and his response was utterly professional, putting in an immense shift that somehow didn’t earn him man-of-the-match though it was plainly obvious that he was. It wasn’t just a barnstorming run into the post, or his workrate in defense, it was the effectiveness of nearly every involvement at the tackle. If they didn’t go backwards, they were held up and slowed down, completely killing any forward momentum that Wales might have had.
The English back row, as a unit, were superb. Chris Robshaw wasn’t as loud as Haskell, but his shift was nearly as impressive. Much has been made of his pre-match captaincy in the tunnel. His leadership on the pitch was where it really mattered. Billy Vunipola wasn’t quite a colossus with ball in hand, but he was in defense, holding up numerous attackers to the same effect as Haskell. It was an excellent mix with the only criticism being a sense of vulnurability at the lineout, which may yet be exposed by a team with strength in that area.
That commendation could justifiably be extended to include the entire forward pack, at the very least in terms of defense. The feel as the match wore on was that they welsh fowards were going nowhere. The numbers post-match proved what a stuffing it was. Faletau was the only one who managed more metres gained than carries – just barely at that – and the pack totalled a mere 24 metres gained on 43 attemps, an astonishing number. For a team whose game plan relies almost exclusively on getting front foot ball that’s almost like throwing a no-hitter, with Webb’s try the wild pitch short of a perfect game.
The negative momentum meant that Jamie Roberts never got in the game. He thrives on hitting the gain line at pace, but with the defense already locked in place there was nowhere for him to go. Only once did he get a clean run at the English midfield, off a lineout, and the psychological advantage he should have enjoyed over Luther Burrell never materialised. Outside him Jonathan Davies looked like a shadow, or at least a man badly searching for form, and Alex Cuthbert was so effective nobody noticed when he was sent off for 10 minues. As for George North, enough has already been said. The Welsh medical team need to have their own heads examined.
If the forwards decided the game up front, the backs did their job in putting points on the board. George Ford played his part, kicking confidently in the Millenium cauldron and playing with the same poise that has defined his time at Bath. Jonathan Joseph might take care to thank some feeble red-shirted defense, but must get credit for having the determination to stay on his feet and score a vital try that clawed England right back into the match just after the break. Anthony Watson touched down on the end of a cutely weighted grubber off the boot of Mike Brown. Had a depressingly pedantic call from the TMO not denied a perfectly good try for Dave Attwood, it would have made an even more memorable occasion for denizens of The Rec.
Whether the stories of Welsh fitness flogging during the week are true are not, the result speaks for itself. They were in a strong position to win with 40 minutes to play and failed to capitalize. The English coaches can take a bow for instilling their beleaguered side with confidence and a game plan to succeed, and all of a sudden their side looks right back in the thick of things with a home game against the Azzurri ideal to keep continuity and spirits high. It was a dreadful day for Wales, and England have their revenge.
WALES 16 vs 21 ENGLAND
Friday, February 6, 21:00 GMT, Cardiff
SCORING
02 mins – L. Halfpenny pen 3-0
08 mins – R. Webb try 8-0
09 mins – L. Halfpenny con 10-0
15 mins – A. Watson try 10-5
23 mins – L. Halfpenny pen 13-5
31 mins – G. Ford pen 13-8
40 mins – D. Biggar drop 16-8
46 mins – J. Joseph try 16-13
47 mins – G. Ford con 16-15
62 mins – G. Ford pen 16-18
79 mins – G. Ford pen 16-21
CARDS
62 mins – A. Cuthbert yellow (professional foul)
WALES
L. Halfpenny; A. Cuthbert, J. Davies, J. Roberts, G. North (L. Williams 31-38); D. Biggar, R. Webb (M. Phillips 69); G. Jenkins (P. James 59), R. Hibbard, S. Lee (A. Jarvis 71); J. Ball (L. Charteris 69), A.W. Jones; D. Lydiate, S. Warburton (capt.), T. Faletau.
ENGLAND
M. Brown; A. Watson, J. Joseph, L. Burrell (B. Twelvetrees 75), J. May; G. Ford, B. Youngs (R. Wigglesworth 69); J. Marler (M. Vunipola 55), D. Hartley (T. Youngs 55), D. Cole (K. Brookes 61); D. Attwood, G. Kruis (N. Easter 71); J. Haskell, C. Robshaw (capt.), B. Vunipola.
Referee: J. Garcès (FFR)
Assistants: R. Poite (FFR) & M. Raynal (FFR)
TMO: S. McDowell (IRFU)
