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England recovered from a 10-0 deficit to record a famous victory over Wales at the Millennium Stadium with a 21-16 win sending them on their way in their attempt to record a first Grand Slam in 12 years.
Tries from Bath duo Anthony Watson and Jonathan Joseph cancelled out Rhys Webb's early score, and despite the metronomic boot of Wales kicker Leigh Halfpenny, England did enough for victory as George Ford kicked two hugely important second-half penalties.
With three games at Twickenham this year, it was vitally important that England got their campaign underway with a win, but for Wales it will come as a massive shock given their tipping as favourites and quick start out of the blocks.
So who shone brightest in an enthralling encounter in Cardiff?
Click the gallery below to see our player ratings.
Show all 31 1 /31Wales vs England player ratings Wales vs England player ratings 15. Leigh Halfpenny - 7 Missed one chance, but such was his kicking that it built the Welsh lead early on. Incredibly reliable under the high ball
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Wales vs England player ratings 14. Alex Cuthbert - 6 If ever there was a sensible yellow card, Cuthbert earned it. His tackle stopped Haskell when everyone the red side of the Severn thought a try was on.
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Wales vs England player ratings 13. Jonathan Davies - 5 Very quiet and struggled to see any ball in hand. Went large phases without having any impact.
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Wales vs England player ratings 12. Jamie Roberts - 7 Had two charging runs that England did well to stop, and his defence was very solid when under pressure.
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Wales vs England player ratings 11. George North - 6 Forced off for a concussion test and starved of the ball, he never seemed to recover from the blow to the head.
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Wales vs England player ratings 10. Dan Biggar - 6 Drop-goal on half-time appeared to the game away from England, but faded in the second half and wale suffered as a result.
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Wales vs England player ratings 9. Rhys Webb - 7 On hand to finish Wales’ opening try and sniped around the edge, but England did well to keep him shackled.
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Wales vs England player ratings 1. Gethin Jenkins - 5 Brought off for Paul James having struggled in the scrum and was very much second best to Dan Cole.
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Wales vs England player ratings 2. Richard Hibbard - 5 His ball at the lineout was below-par and it wasn’t his finest day at the office.
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Wales vs England player ratings 3. Samson Lee - 6 Recovered well after early pressure in the scrum, but picked up an injury in the second half to end his day early.
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Wales vs England player ratings 4. Jake Ball - 6 Struggled to cope with his opposite number and didn’t have the influence on the game that he’s come to enjoy in recent outings.
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Wales vs England player ratings 5. Alun Wyn Jones - 6 Looked to be under pressure in both the lineout and the scrum, and his form deserted him in the second period when Wales needed him most.
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Wales vs England player ratings 6. Dan Lydiate - 6 Gave away a crucial penalty in the second half as England built momentum, but his tackling was as reliable as ever.
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Wales vs England player ratings 7. Sam Warburton - 6 Faded in the second half and was earmarked by England’s defence whenever he got the ball in hand.
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Wales vs England player ratings 8. Taulupe Faletau - 7 Beautiful offload after beating Haskell set-up Webb’s try, but gave away the penalty that allowed Ford to secure the victory.
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Wales vs England player ratings 15. Mike Brown - 7 Deft chip set-up Watson’s try, and was a constant threat whenever he got the ball. Kick to the 5m allowed England to camp on the Welsh line late on.
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Wales vs England player ratings 14. Anthony Watson - 7 Out-gassed Halfpenny to score and drag England back into the game, a strong showing in the air too. No as prevalent in the second half though.
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Wales vs England player ratings 13. Jonathan Joseph - 8 Moment of inspiration after the restart saw him beat three defenders to score, and can be proud of his Millennium debut.
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Wales vs England player ratings 12. Luther Burrell - 8 Didn’t give Roberts and Davies a moments rest and showed his rugby brain with intelligent runs, and was one of the standout performers.
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Wales vs England player ratings 11. Jonny May - 6 Stepped inside to give Webb room to score, and did little with the ball when the opportunity arose.
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Wales vs England player ratings 10. George Ford - 8 Charged down twice in the first-half but passing was strong, missed an early second-half penalty to put England ahead, but more than made up for it with his match-winning penalties.
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Wales vs England player ratings 9. Ben Youngs - 8 Led the England revival and his passing was nothing short of exemplary. Surprising to see him replaced midway through the second half.
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Wales vs England player ratings 1. Joe Marler - 6 Carried well which is often a criticism of his game. Departed for Mako Vunipola after 54 minutes despite dominance in the scrum.
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Wales vs England player ratings 2. Dylan Hartley - 5 Unusually wayward with his lineout ball and taken off after 54 minutes for Tom Youngs as a result.
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Wales vs England player ratings 3. Dan Cole - 7 his lack of game time, Cole’s performance was outstanding, and a turnover on his own 22 when under pressure defined his strong showing.
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Wales vs England player ratings 4. Dave Attwood - 7 Marshalled the defence very well and helped his rapidly growing reputation. One error came when he picked the ball up in a ruck.
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Wales vs England player ratings 5. George Kruis - 8 His first England start? You wouldn’t know it, as he commanded the lineout superbly and really stood out in the battle of the packs.
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Wales vs England player ratings 6. James Haskell - 6 At fault for the opening try with his missed tackle on Faletau, and managed to spurn the chance to score a try when it looked nailed on.
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Wales vs England player ratings 7. Chris Robshaw - 7 Struggled in the lineout early but recovered well. As usual, led by example in defence, and importantly got Jerome Garces on his side early on.
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Wales vs England player ratings 8. Billy Vunipola - 7 Targeted by the Welsh defence but coped very well and never took a backwards step. As players tired his pinch tackle flourished.
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Wales vs England player ratings Best off the bench: Tom Youngs - 7 Did what Hartley couldn’t in the lineout and could be in contention to start next week.
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