England held off a spirited second-half fightback from Wales to triumph in a thrilling Six Nations tussle at Twickenham on Saturday night.
Marcus Smith matched his record Test points haul with 18, all from the tee, as Eddie Jones’ side kept their slim title hopes alive with a hard-fought 23-19 victory.
England led 12-0 at the interval and then 17-0 after Alex Dombrandt’s opportunistic second-half try, but Wales battled back admirably thereafter.
Josh Adams and Nick Tompkins both went over, while Kieran Hardy’s late effort set up a dramatic finish as Wales chased an unlikely last-gasp comeback victory with the clock in the red.
However, Maro Itoje came up with a game-sealing turnover to bring floods of relief all around English rugby HQ, with Jones’ side hosting Ireland next before a trip to Grand-Slam chasing France on the final weekend.
