Wales have not won a Six Nations game at Twickenham since 2012 and that barren record continues. Until the final quarter of a fluctuating contest, though, it was England who were nervously staring into the abyss. Steve Borthwick’s side are managing to find ways to win tight games but, for the second successive weekend, the final margin was way too close for comfort.
On this occasion England, 14-5 down at the interval, were indebted to a penalty from George Ford with eight minutes remaining as well as a 62nd-minute try from Fraser Dingwall, playing in just his second Test. Until the final quarter the hosts had displayed only sporadic signs of attacking fluency but, finally, via a juggling catch and offload from Elliot Daly and a gleeful finish from Dingwall in the left corner, their relieved supporters had something to shout about.
Wales, down to 14 men by the end following a yellow card for Mason Grady, were left to lament their inability to sustain what they had started. With Tommy Reffell outstanding and Warren Gatland’s tactical plan also helping to frustrate England, it would have been due reward for the visitors’ early spirit and energy had they clung on. Instead, again for the second Saturday in a row, they could not quite seal the deal with England’s bench proving significantly more impactful.
Wales had always known they were going to need an 80-minute performance to inflict England’s first defeat of this year’s tournament. For long periods they had their opponents where they wanted them and, when they sit down to reflect upon it, their hosts will recognise that they will need to improve substantially to win at Murrayfield in a fortnight’s time.
Part of the problem was England’s failure to capitalise on their momentum at the start of the game. Freddie Steward scythed straight through Adam Beard, a hairy Welsh moment in every sense, Daly did not fully back himself to burn off the cover with space in front of him and Henry Slade kicked the ball out on the full with other options available. Wales were clinging on and looking for a break of any description.
One duly materialised when Ollie Chessum was shown a yellow card for a high clearout on the tighthead Keiron Assiratti. Wales, for almost the first time, started to make some yardage and an excellent kick to the corner from Ioan Lloyd gave them a perfect attacking platform. Sure enough, an accurate throw to the back set up a rumbling drive which a depleted England could only halt illegally. The referee James Doleman from New Zealand instantly awarded a penalty try before sending the Exeter flanker Ethan Roots to the increasingly congested bin.
To England’s credit they hit back immediately, Maro Itoje collaring Lloyd close to his own line and establishing a scrum position from which Ben Earl burst through Alex Mann’s tackle and stretched over to score. There was to be no conversion, however, Ford’s little shuffle in his set-up allowing Wales’s defenders to rush out before the fly-half had begun his approach in earnest.
Restored to 15 players, now was the moment for this latest ‘new’ England – there continue to be an awful lot of fresh dawns – to put the pedal down. Instead it was Wales who were displaying more energy, intelligence and punch. In Reffell they also had an architect of breakdown chaos with a poacher’s instincts and the Leicester Tiger’s paw prints were all over the visitors’ second try.
England’s new defensive structure remains a work in progress and again it proved porous as Wales found a gap with a lovely inside offload from Reffell to Tomos Williams who sent the rookie Cardiff blindside Mann over for his second try in as many Tests. The 22-year-old is self-evidently a Mann for the big occasion.
A half-time lead of nine points was a far cry from Wales’s first-half debacle against Scotland in Cardiff. Their recovery from 27-0 down, however, had clearly ignited some self-belief and it was England who needed to find some answers. The home crowd, having had their eardrums bashed at half-time by a seriously loud DJ set, were suddenly cathedral quiet.
They perked up when Dingwall freed up Daly wide on the left, only for a brave and highly effective tackle from Josh Adams to force the wing into touch. Daly has scored important tries for his country in the past but one or two other finishers in the world might have taken more ruthless advantage.
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A killer instinct is one of several key qualities that England are currently displaying only occasionally. Without set-piece dominance they possess insufficient weapons elsewhere to makes sides pay or sustain pressure for any length of time. They are looking to play at pace but, by and large, do not have enough ball carriers and speed merchants to hurt opponents.
To a canny coach such as Gatland, it offers potentially rich pickings. George North and Nick Tompkins asked consistently physical questions of England’s midfield and the visitors were also not about to kick the ball repeatedly off the field and present England with a useful stream of lineout possession.
It left England needing to find their own last-gasp escape routes. The first of Ford’s two penalties pegged the score back to 14-8 but with ball in hand it was still Wales who were asking the more pertinent questions. Not for the first time, England were pierced again out wide by a galloping Cameron Winnett who fed Adams outside him. Had Rio Dyer gathered his fellow wing’s inside ball, it could have been one of the great Welsh nights in south-west London. Instead it was a grateful England who belatedly enjoyed the last laugh.
