Wales narrowly failed to pull off one of the great comebacks as they fell 23-19 to England in an epic Six Nations clash at Twickenham.
Wayne Pivac’s side were down 17-0 before rallying and outscoring the hosts 3-1 on tries over the game.
It was an effort that should give Pivac encouragement.
His side were ordinary before the break but showed character and no little skill as they played their way back into the game.
Rugby correspondent Mark Orders hands out the player ratings:
Liam Williams 7
Marcus Smith kept kicking to him in the first half, and Williams kept catching the ball, with a handful of bombs defused. In between, the Wales full-back was yellow-carded for a ruck offence. Some good running in the second half and wonderful skill to keep ball alive at end.
Alex Cuthbert 9
Cap number 50 for Wales, and put a stamp on the occasion with a 50-metre break early on. Made a couple of errors, but his rampaging running worried England throughout with Cuthbert still causing problems in the final minutes. The shame was Wales couldn't fashion a win to mark such a landmark day for the wing, but he more than justified his selection.
Owen Watkin 6
Deservedly retained in the starting line-up after a fine show against Scotland but spilled first kick off and then needed patching up with a cut eye. Some decent defence but Watkin looked a bit shaken up after his bump and found it hard to get into the game in an attacking sense.
Nick Tompkins 7
Busy and involved in some of Wales' best moments, one of which saw him force his way across for a deserved try. His inclusion in the team hadn’t been cheered by all but this was a strong effort from Tompkins, who played as well as any centre on the pitch.
Josh Adams 7
Back in his natural habitat after his excursion in the centre last time out, Adams initially found it hard to showcase his attacking qualities but one flowing counterattack proved the cue for a strong effort which included a try, plenty of powerful running and stacks of determination.
Dan Biggar 7
He will never lose for lack of heart and typically emptied the tank. Opted to distribute rather than run himself and there was nice kicking and Biggar did all he could late on to try to haul his side back into the game.
What are your Wales player ratings? Have your say:
Tomos Williams 8
Best display for Wales, with Williams excellent after the break. A spectacular basketball-style pass hinted at his attacking threat and the Cardiff player followed it up with a sharp break and defence-beating pass that put Josh Adams over for his try. The trigger for so much that was good about Wales in the second half.
Wyn Jones 7
Strong defensive effort, with 15 tackles put in without a single miss, and solid scrummaging that forced a penalty out of Kyle Sinckler.
Couldn’t get involved on the carrying side of the game, but unexpectedly subbed on 45 minutes.
Ryan Elias 5
Elias blew a try-scoring opportunity with a messed-up line-out five metres out in first half and later saw a throw sail over the setpiece into the arms of Alex Dombrandt, who crossed for the try. That said, referee Mike Adamson had missed a shove on Adam Beard.
On the plus side, Elias defended strongly, as always.
Tomas Francis 7
Arguably Wales’ man of the match last time out, he started well here by winning a scrum penalty in the first 10 minutes. There was another transgression forced out of Ellis Genge in the second half. No ball carrying, though, and subbed on 56 minutes.
Will Rowlands 7
Showed his athleticism with a quality lineout steal and there was some nice counter-rucking from Rowlands early in the second half. The Dragons man also carried hard. A fine all-round game, then.
Adam Beard 6
Battled gamely and stood firm in defence. There was the odd lineout issue, notably when Beard was shoved by Maro Itoje, but the Wales vice-captain put in a shift.
Ross Moriarty 6
The Dragon was physical in defence and looked to carry but also gave away three penalties in opening half and tried to force play on occasions. Replaced with 10 minutes to play.
Taine Basham 6
England dominated the breakdown but Basham burst into the game by ripping the ball from Dombrandt as if taking candy off a schoolboy, following up with a dynamic carry. A double hit from Curry and Lawes stopped him dead in his tracks shortly after, though. Basham didn’t stop trying, but it wasn’t to be.
Taulupe Faletau 9
First game for Wales in 11 months and a defensive masterclass saw him repeatedly nail English ball-carriers. The Bath player also pulled an important turnover out of the bag as the hosts threatened before half-time. One immense charge had England back-pedalling. An outstanding Test from an outstanding player.
Replacements
Dewi Lake 6
One throw failed to hit target, but Lake grafted impressively.
Gareth Thomas 6
Turned over at one point but kept offering himself as a carrier and put in his tackles.
Leon Brown 6
Solid enough as a temporary replacement. Came back later and gave away a penalty but there were pluses with his high work-rate.
Seb Davies 6
He’s a ball player and he was sighted in late flurries.
Jac Morgan 7
Did his bit as an impact player: some good carrying and excellent defence.
Kieran Hardy 7
Scored try and was never less than lively.
Gareth Anscombe 7
Helped Wales fire in final stages.
Jonathan Davies 7
Temporary first-half appearance as a blood replacement, came back and contributed fully.
