Young England lions subdue Dragons
Shorn of a dozen men due to injury and 10 points behind in as many minutes in front of a fervent Cardiff crowd, this was the type of victory that can be the catalyst for far greater things.
Youngsters such as Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph and George Kruis came of age, and the visit of Lancaster’s men to Dublin in round three already looks like it will be decisive. For Wales and Warren Gatland, this will be a bitter blow. They could not have named a stronger side, and went into the game boasting 290 more caps than their opponents.
That they again came up short raises serious questions, particularly as these sides will meet in the World Cup Pool stages. Joe Schmidt and his coaching staff will find plenty to ponder, too. Both these sides have clear and obvious weaknesses, but strength of character too.
Ultimately, though, this was a game that delivered the superb start to the Six Nations we have all been craving. It was the type of occasion that lives up to the hype, the intensity and physicality not letting up for a minute. As an event and a match, it will be hard to better.
Yet the result had seemed so unlikely after the opening stages. England’s stated aim had simply been to quieten their hosts in the early stages and get into the game.
That was a difficult enough task as it was, but the pre-match entertainment had an already fervent home support at fever pitch. The light and sound show was wildly over the top, but no-one in the arena seemed to care.
That said, we were treated to a little gamesmanship beforehand when Chris Robshaw, the England skipper, refused to take the field until his Welsh counterparts were ready. His thinking was clear – he didn’t want England to be left waiting alone on the pitch for a number of minutes as Wales built the atmosphere to a crescendo. Wales reacted, the home support booing ‘God Save the Queen’, a theme they continued whenever England lined up a kick. It was poor sportsmanship but few seemed to care.
Then England’s plan went awry on the pitch. Jonny May gave away a poor penalty within a minute that Leigh Halfpenny kicked with ease, before they really hit the front. It was disappointing work from England again as James Haskell slid off an attempted tackle on Taulupe Faletau as the No.8 picked the ball up from the base of a scrum. There was still much to be done but Faletau did it in style, a delicious offload allowing Rhys Webb a clear run to the line.
Ten points down in eight minutes was not in England’s plan, but this side has spirit and – vitally – they scored next as Mike Brown’s grubber bounced perfectly for Anthony Watson to score his first international try.
Ford’s conversion attempt hit the post but it was already a helter-skelter game of the highest order, although there were plenty of mistakes in amongst the madness.
Another from England allowed Halfpenny to add three more points, while George Ford had two kicks charged down. Ford nailed a kick to bring the margin down to five before there was genuine shock as Halfpenny missed a straightforward kick in front of the posts before Dan Biggar’s drop-goal did stretch the lead.
England clearly felt they were not getting the rub of the green from referee Jerome Garces, but they cared not a jot as they moved to within a point four minutes after the restart. The try came after waves of attack foundered on a strong Welsh defence, but Biggar went too low and North too high as Jonathan Joseph sauntered over for a seven-point score.
England had never won a Five or Six Nations game away from home having been eight or more points behind at half-time but took the lead with 20 minutes to go. Ford kicked the penalty but it should have been a try, Haskell running directly into the post – albeit while spinning with two defenders hanging off him – and failing to ground the ball.
The visitors rammed home their advantage, Dave Attwood seemingly making the game safe only for the try to be disallowed for a block by Nick Easter – something Shaun Edwards had highlighted before the game.
No matter. Ford landed another penalty and England saw the game out.
Scorers for Wales: Tries: Webb. Cons: Halfpenny. Pens: Halfpenny 2. Drop Goals: Biggar.
WALES: Halfpenny, Cuthbert, J. Davies, Roberts, North, Biggar, Webb, Jenkins, Hibbard, Lee, Ball, A. Jones, Lydiate, Warburton, Faletau.
Replacements: M. Phillips for Webb (69), James for Jenkins (60), Jarvis for Lee (72), Charteris for Ball (69).
England scorers: Tries: Watson, Joseph. Cons: Ford. Pens: Ford 3.
ENGLAND: Brown, Watson, Joseph, Burrell, May, Ford, B. Youngs, Marler, Hartley, Cole, Attwood, Kruis, Haskell, Robshaw, B. Vunipola.
Replacements: Twelvetrees for Burrell (76), Wigglesworth for B. Youngs (69), M. Vunipola for Marler (55), T. Youngs for Hartley (55), Brookes for Cole (62), Easter for Kruis (72).
Referee: Jerome Garces (France).
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