Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

England vs Samoa player ratings: Elliot Daly scores twice to help side sign off 2017 with seven-try rout

Man-for-man marking from the 48-14 victory at Twickenham

Jack de Menezes

Twickenham

Saturday 25 November 2017 19:22 GMT

England vs Samoa player ratings

Show all 15

1/15England vs Samoa player ratings

England vs Samoa player ratings

15. Mike Brown – 7 out of 10

Smart support line off Itoje brought the first try after just one minute, and held up Ioane shortly before the Samoan try. Up-and-under after the break caused chaos among the Samoan defence and led to a chance that couldn’t be taken.

Getty

England vs Samoa player ratings

14. Jonny May – 7 out of 10

Intelligent play saw him make all of 30m after a quick lineout and dazzling step to wrong-foot Fonotia. Suffered a concussion shortly after the break by a swinging arm from Leiua that went unnoticed.

Getty

England vs Samoa player ratings

13. Henry Slade – 7 out of 10

Very impressive running with the ball and his ability to pass at full tilt brings the best out of the two wings outside him. Didn’t have to kick much, which suited his game.

Getty

England vs Samoa player ratings

12. Alex Lozowski – 7 out of 10

On hand to finish the second try after a smart pass from George, but paid the price a few minutes later as he was on the end of a bone-crunching hit from Leiau. Did well to recover and continue, though conceded a penalty for not rolling and also butchered a chance just before the break with a knock-on. Replaced by Piers Francis three minutes shy of the hour.

Getty

England vs Samoa player ratings

11. Elliot Daly – 8 out of 10

Good harassment of Nanai-Williams brought the second try as he forced the fly-half into an error. Produced two beautiful finishes in the second half, the first from dancing inside two defenders and the second where he beat six men to run in from 35m out.

Getty

England vs Samoa player ratings

10. George Ford – 8 out of 10

Probably his most mature performance on the day he co-captained the side with Chris Robshaw. Triggered a number of slick back moves that produced space out wide and kept his teammates – on the whole – out of Samoan range.

Getty

England vs Samoa player ratings

9. Danny Care – 7 out of 10

Lively around the ball and produced a quickness that Ben Youngs slightly lacks. Had to wear a big hit when he was caught in front of the ball carrier that required a bit of treatment.

Getty

England vs Samoa player ratings

1. Ellis Genge – 7 out of 10

Very solid in the front-row battle and did his work in defence well. Replaced by Joe Marler soon after the break, and will have been disappointed not to see more action.

Getty

England vs Samoa player ratings

2. Jamie George – 8 out of 10

Appeared to take his chance to shine in Dylan Hartley’s absence as he set-up the second try for Lozowski and was on the money in the lineout. The Saracen also fronted up in the scrum, and he took his leave 64 minutes in as the skipper returned.

Getty

England vs Samoa player ratings

3. Dan Cole – 7 out of 10

Gave away a sloppy penalty for coming in to the ruck at the side, but made up for it a minute later when he sealed a turnover in the ruck that triggered an England attack.

Getty

England vs Samoa player ratings

4. Joe Launchbury – 6 out of 10

Gave England’s maul its grunt, which was made all the more prevalent when he was forced off the field after half an hour with a shoulder injury and the driving maul ceased to be a weapon.

Getty

England vs Samoa player ratings

5. Charlie Ewels – 7 out of 10

A good line outside Maro Itoje allowed Care to miss out the Saracens forward and feed Ewels to crash over and score the third try. Penalised in the second half for holding a defender at the ruck, but on the whole it was a strong showing.

Getty

England vs Samoa player ratings

5. Maro Itoje – 7 out of 10

Carried well, particularly in the second half when he tried to run over David Lemi. A useful option running the lineout in England’s wealth of options, and he packed down in the second-row once Launchbury had to leave.

Getty

England vs Samoa player ratings

7. Chris Robshaw – 7 out of 10

He was right in predicting that he would not change his game. Played like a blindside flanker – almost a six-and-a-half... – as he wasn’t able to impose at the breakdown but stole ball in the lineout and led the defensive effort. One poor pass to the opposition did not tarnish another workman performance.

Getty

England vs Samoa player ratings

8. Sam Simmonds – 8 out of 10

Watching the game back, you would not believe that Simmonds was making just his third appearance. Strong running and dogged work in the breakdown saw him stand out in the absence of England’s two recognised No 8s.

Getty

England ended the year on a high note after securing a 48-14 victory over Samoa at Twickenham on Saturday, with seven-try thrashing sealing a ninth Test win out of 10 this calendar year.

Elliot Daly starred as he scored two tries, while first-half scores from Mike Brown, Alex Lozowski and Charlie Ewels gave England a comfortable 22-7 lead at the break, with Samoa's response coming through blindside flanker Piula Fa'asalele.

Eddie Jones will have hoped to see his side build on that score after the break, but Samoa made things difficult for the hosts and it took a full 20 minutes before England crossed the whitewash again.

But eventually the floodgates opened, with Daly going over before Henry Slade slipped through defence without a hand being laid on him, and Daly bagged his second with a fantastic finish from 35 metres out as he beat six defenders to score besides the posts.

The icing was added to the cake when replacement wing Semesa Rokoduguni went over with the final play of the game, having seen Fa'asalele sent to the sin-bin for a cynical penalty.,

So how did the players perform? Click on the gallery above to find out.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies