England v Wales player ratings

Man-for-man marking from the Six Nations match at the Twickenham in London

Following the contest between England and Wales we take a look at how the individual players performed.

England

Alex Corbisiero:  Was up against it in the scrum against the world class ability of Adam Jones, but the US born prop was a busy in the tight and made his presence felt during the attritional forward battles. 6

Dylan Hartley:  Good darts in the line-out and held up well in the scrum. Got through a mountain of donkey work at ruck time too, and helped England to dominate the breakdown. 7

Dan Cole:  Fronted up to the physical presence of opposite number Gethin Jenkins in the scrum and helped turn the screw when England were on top. 7

Mouritz Botha:  Blonde bombshell lock made a mess of the Welsh line out and almost scored an unlikely charge down try which led to Rhys Priestland getting sin binned. Got through a serious amount of work in 60 minutes. 7

Geoff Parling: Brought in by Stuart Lancaster for this second cap, the Leicester lock contributed to several steals of the Welsh line-out and didn’t look out of his depth. 6

Tom Croft: England’s foremost ball carrier in the back row was given plenty of opportunity to go forward and gleefully accepted the challenge of soaking up numerous Wales tackles on the gainline. 7

Chris Robshaw:  Will feel unfortunate to be on the losing side, not least because his mischievous work at the breakdown helped England secure numerous turnovers and dominate possession. 7

Ben Morgan: 

First England start for the Bristol born Scarlets flanker ends in defeat to the side he could’ve played for. Smashed into his club teammates with abandon and will wonder how his side conspired to lose after securing such dominance at the breakdown. 7

Lee Dickson:  First start for Dickson and likely the first of many after an assured performance. Got his backs firing with quick ball well secured by the hard-working pack and linked up well with Farrell. Should continue against France. 7

Owen Farrell: Will reflect ruefully on the penalty he missed just before departing injured, but put his teammates in a great position to win the game with an inventive, confident display. May be disappointed at inability to put Wales to the sword. 8

David Strettle:  Just an arm’s hair away from landing a last gasp try and putting England within touching distance of a draw – put denied by the TMO. Looked lively in the first half but possibly needed to offer a bit more attacking thrust when the game became scrappy in the second half. 6

Brad Barritt: 

In tandem with centre partner Tuilagi, he helped shellshock the big Wales backs with powerful running and numerous line breaks, but became less influential as the game wore on. 7

 

Manu Tuilagi:  How England have missed him. Always looked the most likely to end up over the try line, not least because he regularly gained at least five yards over the gain line when carrying the pill. At times unstoppable and unlucky to be on the losing side. 8

Chris Ashton: 

Another fairly ho-hum performance from the Saracens bound winger. Probed and danced with ball-in-hand but found very little space to stretch the legs – Wales marshalled him well. Needs to find an extra gear but hard to do so when sitting in the stand at Northampton. 5

Ben Foden:  Attempted to counter attack with venom but was well nullified by the ferocious Welsh defence. Guilty of engaging in some sterile kicking exchanges in the second half. 6

Pick of the replacements – Toby Flood: 

Brought on following Farrell’s injury, he was instrumental in getting England up the pitch within a whisker of securing a late, game saving try. His long pass out wide gave Strettle the chance but the TMO said no. 6

 

Wales

Gethin Jenkins:  Tireless effort from the indefatigable veteran prop and was instrumental in Wales’ defence withstanding England’s constant pressure. 7

Ken Owens: Fourth cap for the Scarlets hooker was his toughest test in a Welsh jersey. The 25-year-old will have easier days out and his line-out throwing looked shaky as England stole numerous Welsh ball at the set-piece. 5

Adam Jones:  Scraggy haired and wily as ever, Jones was ever present in Wales’ defence effort and turned the screw on opposite number Corbisiero at the scrum. 7

Alun Wyn Jones: Got through huge amount of work around the pitch, not least in defence, but day to forget at line-out time, as Botha, Parling and Croft continually picked off Welsh throws. 6

Ian Evans:  Another who struggled at the line-out but, like his teammates, was courageous and present in defence. 5

Dan Lydiate: Will earn plaudits for work rate but questions will be asked of how England came to dominate matters at the breakdown seemingly at will. Also less visible than usual with ball-in-hand. 5

Sam Warburton:  Like his back row colleagues, Warburton seemed initially shocked by England’s ferocity at the breakdown. But he recovered sufficiently at the end to lead his side to an unlikely victory, becoming more prominent as the game became scrappier and making huge hits in defence. 8

Toby Faletau: Unable to really impose himself with huge carries, as England nullified Wales’ ball carrying threat, and may feel disappointed England were able to dictate possession. 6

Mike Philips:  England’s massive effort at the breakdown ensured Philips was limited to snappy ball delivery and couldn’t make too many trademark sniping runs around the fringe. His physicality was crucial in repelling English attacks. 6

Rhys Priestland: Poor game from the fly-half whose confidence only diminished as the game progressed. Missed touch with penalties at least three times, engaged in some poor ping-pong kicking in the second half and was sin-binned after having a kick charged down by Botha. Fortunate Scott Williams, and his teammates, saw the game out. 4

George North:  Despite having a huge height advantage, struggled under the high ball when put under pressure by Ashton, Strettle and Foden. Made some trademark physical runs but England shut him down well. 6

Jamie Roberts: Another who struggled to get going in the face of England’s swarming, physical defence. His diminished influence in attack meant Wales really struggled to threaten England’s line but his defensive effort was excellent. 6

Jonathan Davies:  Rarely received the ball in space but when he did, reminded England of his dangerous, direct running. However largely had his hands full keeping check on Barritt and Tuilagi and gets an extra mark for making the crucial try saving tackle on Strettle. 7

Alex Cuthbert: Fairly anonymous on the right wing, the giant back nonetheless was crucial in Wales’ mammoth defensive effort. 6

Leigh Halfpenny:  Nerveless goalkicking kept Wales in the game and safety under the high-ball combined with a constant willingness to counter attack helped them over the line late on. 7

Pick of the replacements – Scott Williams:

Who else could it be? Created and finished the crucial move of the game – the replacement ripped the ball from Courtney Lawes, immediately kicked ahead and finished across the line with aplomb. Fantastic contribution to a juddering game of few opportunities. 8

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Caption competition
Caption competition
News in pictures
World news in pictures
Sport blogs

iBet: Look To The Lady In The Prince Of Wales

The Prince of Wales Stakes today is regarded by many as the No1 race of the Royal Ascot meeting and ...

by Gareth Purnell

iBet: Favourites have a good record in the Coventry stakes

Today’s St James Palace looks a cracker and there has been sustained money for Dawn Approach since t...

by Gareth Purnell

Newcastle don’t need a football director – they need a new medical team after finishing bottom of the injury league

Newcastle United have shocked their fans by appointing Joe Kinnear as director of football but new f...

by Alex Miller

       
 
Career Services

Day In a Page

'To farm I have to rape the countryside. It’s got to be wrong': The true effect of the badger cull

The true effect of the badger cull

'To farm I have to rape the countryside. It’s got to be wrong'
Theatre review: Daniel Radcliffe gives an admirably honest performance in Michael Grandage's The Cripple of Inishmaan

First night: The Cripple of Inishmaan

Daniel Radcliffe gives an admirably honest performance in Michael Grandage's comedy
Girls Guides drop religious reference but pledge to self and the Queen

Guides drop religious reference but pledge to self and the Queen

After 103 years, organisation changes oath to welcome 'all girls, of all faiths, and none'
Steve Tongue: Joe Kinnear was one of the boys and a breath of fresh air... 21 years ago

Steve Tongue

Joe Kinnear was one of the boys and a breath of fresh air... 21 years ago
Chris Froome: Free from 'pain in neck' after Bradley Wiggins' exit

Chris Froome: Free from 'pain in neck' after Wiggins' exit

Sky's lead rider says he is in fantastic form for the Tour and happy pecking order debate is over
Hannah England: I've got the right times – now to focus on the chess

Hannah England: Keeping Track

I've got the right times – now to focus on the chess
Beards, brawn and body art

Beards, brawn and body art

Meet London’s new batch of male models
Scandi-geeks descend on Nordicana for fan-convention

Scandi-geeks descend on Nordicana for fan-convention

British love of shows such as The Bridge, Borgen and The Killing shows no sign of fading
Behind the rhetoric what is really being done to combat desertification?

The Great Green Wall of Africa,

Behind the rhetoric what is really being done to combat desertification?
Laughter Inc: the cheering growth of the chuckle industry

Laughter Inc

The cheering growth of the chuckle industry
The bad science scandal: how fact-fabrication is damaging UK's global name for research

The bad science scandal

How fact-fabrication is damaging UK's global name for research
To the manor born: The female aristocrats battling to inherit the title

Female aristocrats battle to inherit the title

A passionate protest is gathering pace among the women of Britain's aristocracy, who believe that men should no longer automatically inherit the family pile and title.
Love struck: Photographs of JFK's visit to Berlin 50 years ago reveal a nation instantly smitten

In pictures: JFK's visit to Berlin in 1963

Photographer Ulrich Mack accompanied Kennedy on the entire trip. The results are an astonishing record of a watershed moment.
Eat shoots and leaves: Mark Hix gets creative with fresh peas, mangetouts and sugar snaps

Mark Hix gets creative with English peas

English peas and their offsprings, such as mangetouts and sugar snaps, are great tossed into a salad, says our chef.
Ceviche with a smile: Chef Martin Morales has turned South America's elegant cuisine into one of London's hottest food trends

Chef Martin Morales: Ceviche with a smile

Morales has turned South America's elegant cuisine into one of London's hottest food trends