England were trailing with three minutes to go when they had a penalty 30 metres out. Chris Robshaw opted to go for the win rather than the draw with Wales decimated by injuries and a revamped back division as an unspectacular game provided a flourishing finish. The initial lineout was repelled and so was a second to leave the hosts in danger of failing to make the knock-out stage of their own tournament with Australia to come on Saturday.
It had been billed as the biggest match of the 127 between the sides, never mind that they had twice met at the quarter-final stage of the World Cup. Never mind the hype, there was some fluidity in the opening exchanges, with Wales looking to bypass Sam Burgess and widen the point of attacks while England took play through phases and achieved width naturally.
Courtney Lawes wasted a two-man overlap by cutting inside and Anthony Watson’s chip was ushered into touch by Gareth Davies five metres shy of the Wales line. Davies, who was playing the biggest match of his career in the absence of the injured Rhys Webb, struggled to measure his kicks out of hand initially, allowing the likes of Billy Vunipola to get into a gallop, but England’s discipline at the breakdown was again a weakness, Tom Youngs and Dan Cole providing Dan Biggar with six points in the opening 15 minutes.
Wales’s problems were up front. Their previous two matches against England had ended in defeat after they were heavily penalised at the scrum and the first three here resulted in penalties for the hosts, the first wrecking a strong attacking position and the third turned into three points from the tee by Owen Farrell.
Stuart Lancaster had been criticised for compromising his attacking philosophy by dropping the fly-half George Ford but there was no lack of ambition. Burgess’s first involvement resulted in his dropping the ball after being tackled by Scott Williams, but the two wings and Mike Brown were brought into the game as Wales, at times over-committing to the breakdown, found themselves stretched.
It was 25 minutes before Jamie Roberts charged at Burgess, brought down with the help of Farrell, but their attacks were sporadic, a Biggar snipe and Bradley Davies burst the result of opportunism, but their lack of set-piece possession, their lineout was little more productive than their scrum, limited their opportunities.
The sides were level at the end of the first quarter, Biggar’s early penalty countered by Farrell after Wales wheeled a scrum on their 10-metre line and his second was met with a 40m drop goal from his opposite number. As the temperature dropped, the heat of battle increased and when Dan Lydiate sent Tom Wood into the air with a low tackle that Jérôme Garcès ruled on review was within the laws because he used his arms, the players exchanged greetings, although Brown was fortunate to get away with hauling Warburton out of the grappling mass of players, hanging on to the flanker and haranguing him, ensuring the melee continued.
Another disagreement broke out after Wales were again penalised at a scrum. Farrell gave England the lead for the first time and four minutes later they were 10 points ahead with a superbly worked try from a lineout.
Burgess’s movement off the ball fractured the defence to allow Watson space as he came off his wing. His pass to Brown was poor but the full-back eventually picked up to set up a ruck from which Ben Youngs spotted George North off his wing and Jonny May scored from five metres. Wales were slow to recover, Biggar’s third penalty making the interval score 16-9, but they had been out-thought and outplayed.
Lawes was the last player to leave the pitch at half-time, limping on his strapped left leg, and he did not emerge for the second period, replaced by Joe Launchbury. It did not disrupt England’s momentum, Vunipola and the impressive Ben Youngs breaking from their own half as Wales continued to slip off tackles and, scrambling desperately in defence, conceded penalties for trying to slow down release of the ball.
It was Scott Baldwin’s final act before the hooker was replaced, Farrell’s fourth penalty restoring England’s double-figure lead and the game settled down into a kicking duel between the two outside-halves, two Biggar penalties interrupted by one from Farrell after Roberts had failed to roll away. England looked comfortable with their cushion of at least a penalty try and Wales unable to create an attacking platform.
Wales did have the boot of Biggar and his sixth penalty on 58 minutes after Vunipola failed to get back on his feet energised Wales. George North, who had barely had a run all night, broke three tackles on a run from his own 22 and England for the first time in the half found themselves pegged back. Vunipola needed lengthy treatment on his right knee as his brother Mako replaced Joe Marler and Tom Youngs went down with cramp. Wales scented an opportunity but a bungled move saw them back in their own 22 as Watson hacked on.
Wales, already without two centres, lost Scott Williams with a knee injury following a Brad Barritt tackle that required him to be taken off on a stretcher. North moved into the midfield and they returned to the attack after a rash tackle by Farrell in the visitors’ 22. Another handling error cost them and England, more threatening all night, created the first opportunity of the second-half when May skipped away and linked with Richard Wigglesworth and Chris Robshaw. Biggar prevented a try, but in the scramble that followed Liam Williams seemed to suffer a blow to the head and was taken off along with the wing Hallam Amos who appeared to dislocate an elbow handing off Farrell whose penalty put England seven points ahead again.
With an outside-half at full-back, a scrum-half on the wing and a wing in the centre, Wales did not appear to have a wing or a prayer. And then they were level, the out-of-position wing Lloyd Williams chipping to the line for Gareth Davies to score and Biggar to convert. The dead were dancing, jiving when Biggar gave them lead with a penalty from halfway after Brown had held on after a tackle. England had five minutes to prevent a meltdown week.
England were trailing with three minutes to go when they had a penalty 30 metres out. Chris Robshaw opted to go for the win rather than the draw with Wales decimated by injuries and a revamped back division as an unspectacular game provided a flourishing finish. The initial lineout was repelled and so was a second to leave the hosts in danger of failing to make the knock-out stage of their own tournament with Australia to come on Saturday.
It had been billed as the biggest match of the 127 between the sides, never mind that they had twice met at the quarter-final stage of the World Cup. Never mind the hype, there was some fluidity in the opening exchanges, with Wales looking to bypass Sam Burgess and widen the point of attacks while England took play through phases and achieved width naturally.
Courtney Lawes wasted a two-man overlap by cutting inside and Anthony Watson’s chip was ushered into touch by Gareth Davies five metres shy of the Wales line. Davies, who was playing the biggest match of his career in the absence of the injured Rhys Webb, struggled to measure his kicks out of hand initially, allowing the likes of Billy Vunipola to get into a gallop, but England’s discipline at the breakdown was again a weakness, Tom Youngs and Dan Cole providing Dan Biggar with six points in the opening 15 minutes.
Wales’s problems were up front. Their previous two matches against England had ended in defeat after they were heavily penalised at the scrum and the first three here resulted in penalties for the hosts, the first wrecking a strong attacking position and the third turned into three points from the tee by Owen Farrell.
Stuart Lancaster had been criticised for compromising his attacking philosophy by dropping the fly-half George Ford but there was no lack of ambition. Burgess’s first involvement resulted in his dropping the ball after being tackled by Scott Williams, but the two wings and Mike Brown were brought into the game as Wales, at times over-committing to the breakdown, found themselves stretched.
It was 25 minutes before Jamie Roberts charged at Burgess, brought down with the help of Farrell, but their attacks were sporadic, a Biggar snipe and Bradley Davies burst the result of opportunism, but their lack of set-piece possession, their lineout was little more productive than their scrum, limited their opportunities.
The sides were level at the end of the first quarter, Biggar’s early penalty countered by Farrell after Wales wheeled a scrum on their 10-metre line and his second was met with a 40m drop goal from his opposite number. As the temperature dropped, the heat of battle increased and when Dan Lydiate sent Tom Wood into the air with a low tackle that Jérôme Garcès ruled on review was within the laws because he used his arms, the players exchanged greetings, although Brown was fortunate to get away with hauling Warburton out of the grappling mass of players, hanging on to the flanker and haranguing him, ensuring the melee continued.
Another disagreement broke out after Wales were again penalised at a scrum. Farrell gave England the lead for the first time and four minutes later they were 10 points ahead with a superbly worked try from a lineout.
Burgess’s movement off the ball fractured the defence to allow Watson space as he came off his wing. His pass to Brown was poor but the full-back eventually picked up to set up a ruck from which Ben Youngs spotted George North off his wing and Jonny May scored from five metres. Wales were slow to recover, Biggar’s third penalty making the interval score 16-9, but they had been out-thought and outplayed.
Lawes was the last player to leave the pitch at half-time, limping on his strapped left leg, and he did not emerge for the second period, replaced by Joe Launchbury. It did not disrupt England’s momentum, Vunipola and the impressive Ben Youngs breaking from their own half as Wales continued to slip off tackles and, scrambling desperately in defence, conceded penalties for trying to slow down release of the ball.
It was Scott Baldwin’s final act before the hooker was replaced, Farrell’s fourth penalty restoring England’s double-figure lead and the game settled down into a kicking duel between the two outside-halves, two Biggar penalties interrupted by one from Farrell after Roberts had failed to roll away. England looked comfortable with their cushion of at least a penalty try and Wales unable to create an attacking platform.
Wales did have the boot of Biggar and his sixth penalty on 58 minutes after Vunipola failed to get back on his feet energised Wales. George North, who had barely had a run all night, broke three tackles on a run from his own 22 and England for the first time in the half found themselves pegged back. Vunipola needed lengthy treatment on his right knee as his brother Mako replaced Joe Marler and Tom Youngs went down with cramp. Wales scented an opportunity but a bungled move saw them back in their own 22 as Watson hacked on.
Wales, already without two centres, lost Scott Williams with a knee injury following a Brad Barritt tackle that required him to be taken off on a stretcher. North moved into the midfield and they returned to the attack after a rash tackle by Farrell in the visitors’ 22. Another handling error cost them and England, more threatening all night, created the first opportunity of the second-half when May skipped away and linked with Richard Wigglesworth and Chris Robshaw. Biggar prevented a try, but in the scramble that followed Liam Williams seemed to suffer a blow to the head and was taken off along with the wing Hallam Amos who appeared to dislocate an elbow handing off Farrell whose penalty put England seven points ahead again.
With an outside-half at full-back, a scrum-half on the wing and a wing in the centre, Wales did not appear to have a wing or a prayer. And then they were level, the out-of-position wing Lloyd Williams chipping to the line for Gareth Davies to score and Biggar to convert. The dead were dancing, jiving when Biggar gave them lead with a penalty from halfway after Brown had held on after a tackle. England had five minutes to prevent a meltdown week.
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