FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED from Wales' 20-9 win over England
Fringe players struggle for England, Steve Borthwick needs to nail down his best XV, and Jac Morgan shines for the Dragons: FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED from Wales’ 20-9 win over England
- Wales triumphed over England in World Cup warm up at the Principality Stadium
- A rotated England team failed to score a single try during the game in Cardiff
- Steve Borthwick’s side need to be better in next week’s rematch at Twickenham
England’s first warm-up match for the Rugby World Cup ended in abject disappointment as Steve Borthwick’s side were beaten 20-9 by Wales in Cardiff.
The fringe players given a chance to impress by head coach Borthwick fluffed their lines as England not only failed to score a try, but also didn’t manage a single point in the second half.
By contrast, Wales were much improved on their poor Six Nations earlier this year.
Here, MailSport’s Alex Bywater looks at five things we learned from England and five from Wales from the game at Principality Stadium…
Wales comfortably defeated a rotated England side in a World Cup warm up on Saturday
ENGLAND
WORLD CUP SELECTION JUST GOT EASIER
Borthwick will mull over the naming of his final 33-man party for the World Cup in France on Sunday before officially confirming it on Monday morning at Twickenham.
The brutal reality is that his selection was made a lot easier by England’s performance in Cardiff as the fringe players given a chance to impress didn’t make a strong case to be picked.
England were blown away in the second half and crumbled under pressure. Lewis Ludlam and Joe Marchant did show something in a losing cause, but they will still be sweating on their places.
England’s fringe players failed to mark their case for a spot in the starting XV in next month’s tournament
SO MUCH WORK TO DO
Borthwick didn’t have much time with England before the Six Nations after being parachuted in to replace the sacked Eddie Jones.
He has not been short of time this summer, but worryingly for England the game in Cardiff appeared to show how much work the team still has to do if they are to compete for the World Cup.
England didn’t look as fit as Wales and that must be a concern. There were also lots and lots of individual errors, the scrum and line-out were shocking, and there was no clear pattern of play.
FIRST TEAM NEEDS TIME IN THE SADDLE
England have three warm-up games left – a rematch with Wales at Twickenham on Saturday and then meetings with Ireland and Fiji.
It now seems clear Borthwick must select his best team (or as close to) for those matches in order to ensure continuity and get his first-choice XV in as good a condition as possible ahead of the World Cup opener with Argentina next month.
Steve Borthwick needs to play his best possible side going forward as the World Cup draws closer
STEWARD REMAINS NAILED ON
Of the England side which started in Cardiff, you’d have thought only full-back Freddie Steward and captain for the day Ellis Genge are certain starters against Argentina.
In a poor team display against Wales, Steward was once again a solid performer. As usual, he ruled the skies in what was a high quality aerial battle with opposite number Leigh Halfpenny. Steward showed he can run to, breezing past Christ Tshiunza to make a first-half break. England need more of that.
THINGS WILL SURELY GET BETTER
England can’t be as bad as they were in Cardiff moving forwards. Borthwick and his team’s supporters will hope not anyway! The likes of Owen Farrell will surely play in the rematch with Wales this weekend.
It can’t really get any worse that what happened at Principality Stadium, especially in the second 40.
England can take solace in the knowledge that it can’t get much worse than Saturday’s performance
WALES
WELSH CONFIDENCE AND DOG IS BACK
Wales head coach Warren Gatland said in the build-up to victory over England his team were capable of ‘something special’ at the World Cup.
While this was only a warm-up game and Welsh fans must not get carried away, the team looked completely different from the one which won just one game in the Six Nations.
Wales’ players looked full of beans. They had confidence and intent and looked in prime physical condition. They certainly looked fitter than England. When Wales were at their best under Gatland (and when they reached the 2019 World Cup semi-finals is a good example), they had this priceless ability to work hard for each other, stay in games, and never go away. There were signs of those characteristics returning against England which is positive for Wales.
CAPTAIN JAC MAKES BIG STATEMENT
Jac Morgan, still only 23, captained Wales for the first time at senior level against England. Like his team, Morgan had a bit of a slow start but he exploded into action in the second half as Wales took total control.
Morgan was named player of the match. He produced a brilliant run to create Gareth Davies’ try and then put in a monster hit on England flanker Tom Pearson. ‘I thought he was outstanding,’ Gatland said of Morgan.
‘We’ve spoken a lot about Jac and where he’ll play.’ Morgan is unlikely to be captain against England in the rematch, but he is now No 1 candidate to do it at the World Cup.
Jac Morgan was integral to Wales’ success as they dominated in the second half on Saturday
NEW FACES MAKE DECENT IMPRESSION
There were five Wales players making their Test debuts against England. Rookie props Corey Domachowski and Keiron Assiratti had their struggles at scrum time in terms of penalties conceded, but it was interesting Gatland pointed out he felt they were harsh.
Max Llewellyn did the basics well but didn’t have much ball to work with in midfield. Of Wales’ new faces, the biggest debutant impacts came from the bench in Henry Thomas and Taine Plumtree.
Former England prop Thomas went very well, demolishing the white scrum he used to be a part of. Plumtree, a former New Zealand Under-20 cap, was playing his first game in northern hemisphere rugby. He showed up well as a formidable line-out presence, stealing ball.
Gatland wants a big No 6 for the World Cup and Plumtree looks in a good position to go to France. His versatility is also a big tick in the tournament box.
WAINWRIGHT SHOWS IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT FALETAU
Taulupe Faletau is Wales’ undisputed first choice at No 8. He is currently nursing a calf injury and while he should be fit for the World Cup, there was a concern about depth at the back of the scrum – especially after Ross Moriarty ruled himself out of playing in France. Dragons man Wainwright started at No 8 against England. Gatland’s praise for his performance spoke volumes.
‘Aaron had his best game in a Wales jersey,’ Gatland said. Wainwright did brilliantly for Davies’ try, calling early for a cross kick from Sam Costelow, collecting, and then offloading to Morgan. The ferocity of his physicality and ball carrying was also very impressive.
Aaron Wainwright proved to be cable deputy at No 8 with Taulupe still recovering from injury
INJURY CONCERNS
One negative for Wales was the injuries suffered by forward pair Ryan Elias and Dafydd Jenkins. Hooker Elias went down early with a hamstring problem and was replaced by Elliot Dee. Exeter lock Jenkins had a knee problem.
Gatland will be hoping neither are too serious. Both players will have scans on Monday to determine the extent of their issues.
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