England’s latest victory lacked the spikiness of the verbal exchanges in the buildup but the action was more telling than the words. The champions again showed the awareness and durability they have developed under Eddie Jones, defending a lead for once rather than coming from behind, but they are also profiting from an element they missed under the previous regime: key decisions going their way.
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This was England’s 15th successive home victory in the Six Nations. Their last defeat was against Wales in 2012 when Scott Williams scored the try that won the match; he would have had the headline writers poised again but for a remarkable tackle by Sam Underhill – a replacement for the injured Sam Simmonds – who, as the centre slid for the line five metres out with 19 minutes to go, got his hand under his body and steered him into touch.
That was the moment Wales lost the game, not an incident almost at the same point in the first half when Gareth Anscombe got to the ball first ahead of Anthony Watson after it had rolled off Steff Evans’s shin over England’s line. The full-back, whose move to fly-half in the second half helped tilt the momentum towards Wales, claimed a try and the television match official, Glenn Newman, was asked to rule whether the ball had been grounded.
His adjudication angered Wales but in 2012 their victory was confirmed when David Strettle was denied by the TMO. While Anscombe appeared to have beaten Watson to the bounce, his contact did not look to have been hard enough to have properly grounded it. It was a 50-50 call, the sort that should be made by officials on the field, and again showed how lacking video evidence is when it is used to make subjective, rather than objective, decisions.
England’s previous match here against Australia saw three TMO decisions go their way but their resurgence under Jones is not down to luck. They mastered the wet conditions in the first quarter when Wales were looking to build on their victory over Scotland, kicking accurately and playing off the scrum-half Danny Care to minimise handling mistakes.
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Wales had the first chance after one minute when Anscombe’s chip for Evans was slightly overdone and fielded by George Ford but within 90 seconds England were ahead. Jones had before the game highlighted the inexperience of the Wales outside-half Rhys Patchell and, when the outside-half tried to field Care’s hanging box-kick, Watson tapped the ball back and England had a disorganised defence to exploit.
Josh Adams had left the right wing to help out Patchell. Owen Farrell spotted his absence and kicked with the outside of his right boot into the space for Jonny May to run on to and score his first try in the championship. His second turned up 17 minutes later after Farrell passed long to Joe Launchbury on the left wing. The second-row held the ball in his left hand as he fended off Adams and Patchell to pass inside to the supporting May and England were halfway to a bonus point. They were outmanoeuvring opponents who had suffered the withdrawal of the full-back Leigh Halfpenny on the morning of the game because of an infected foot.
Anscombe, an outside-half, took over, leaving Wales with a back three with little Six Nations experience, something England exploited with their kicking. England won the battle in the air and Wales were rushed into making their return kicks, unable to profit from their exceptional discipline on a night when they conceded two penalties and a free-kick.
As Jones had predicted, the pressure told on Patchell at times. He was hit hard and slightly late by Ford after his first pass, and while it was his chip that led to Anscombe’s chance, he struggled to break free of his pursuers after the break. His final mistake, losing control of the ball as he attempted to work space on the right wing, saw him taken off.
George North came on for him, prompting a reshuffle. Adams moved to full-back, North took his place and Anscombe went to outside-half where he changed the momentum of the game with a series of sniping runs, backed up by the rampaging Aaron Shingler who was denied after one run and kick by Farrell.
The set-pieces were even, England losing a lineout when Dylan Hartley was having a head injury assessment in the opening minutes. The home side worked the breakdown well, chopping down Josh Navidi and launching a series of pick-and-goes to breach the gainline, but the loss of scrum-half Ben Youngs sabotaged Jones’s strategy of finishers.
Care coming off the bench for Youngs has been the transition point for England, increasing the pace of the game and become less structured. That option was denied them here and it was Wales who were pressing at the end, Anscombe’s penalty five minutes from time giving them a bonus point and hope. Pre-Jones, they might have prevailed but the men in white have the abrasive qualities of their master and are still some way from their peak.