Wales 40-24 England: Player ratings from controversial Six Nations clash

After Wales’ controversial Six Nations victory over England in Cardiff on Saturday, pick through the player ratings from both sides…

Wales

15. Liam Williams: Scored a highly debatable first-half try, but had a fine game in all areas. 8/10

14. Louis Rees-Zammit: Another strong showing by Wales’ new wing sensation and he almost scored at the end. 7/10

13. George North: Won his 100th cap for Wales and his team-mates obliged by helping secure a Triple Crown triumph. 7/10

12. Jonathan Davies: Returned to the Test arena after injury and gave a solid if quiet display. 6/10

11. Josh Adams: Scored his 15th Test try – highly controversially – after returning following a two-match ban for breaching coronavirus protocols. 7/10

10. Dan Biggar: Made his mark before going off early in the second period. 6/10

9. Kieran Hardy: A try-scoring contribution by the Wales number nine, who looks at home on the Test stage. 8/10

1. Wyn Jones: Another strong showing, especially in the scrums, by Wales’ loosehead prop. 7/10

2. Ken Owens: Showed all his experience, especially during the final quarter as Wales turned the screw. 7/10

3. Tomas Francis: Coped well with England loosehead prop Mako Vunipola. Solid and consistent. 7/10

4. Adam Beard: Delivered his best performance of this season’s Six Nations, particularly in the lineouts. 7/10

5. Alun Wyn Jones: Wales’ captain typically led from the front. He was involved in most things. 7/10

6. Josh Navidi: Made his first Test start since last March and looked like he had never been away. 8/10

7. Justin Tipuric: Made his presence felt in attack and defence, with another strong tackle count. 7/10

8. Taulupe Faletau: Comfortably the best player on the pitch. Magnificent in all areas. 9/10

Replacements – Fly-half Callum Sheedy led a strong Wales bench, kicking 13 points to underpin a superb result for Wales. 8/10

England

15. Elliot Daly: Ran with so much conviction but his intent was let down by mistakes. 6/10

14. Anthony Watson: Makes ground with every carry and finished a well-deserved try. A real threat. 7/10

13. Henry Slade: Saw more ball than at any time in recent memory as England played with greater ambition. 6/10

12. Owen Farrell: The England captain’s best game for some time. Harshly treated by referee Pascal Gauzere. 6/10

11. Jonny May: Unable to unleash his running game but was a huge aerial threat, making some tricky catches. 6/10

10. George Ford: One pass to Slade was trademark Ford and he was part of backline that showed enterprise but kicked poorly. 5/10

9. Ben Youngs: Dummied his way over for a try that hauled England back into contention but it was not enough. 6/10

1. Mako Vunipola: A performance of high work-rate rather than eye-catching moments. Tackled hard. 6/10

2. Jamie George: Being dropped against Italy induced an impressive shift from the hooker who sent Watson over for his try. 6/10

3. Kyle Sinckler: Struggled to make the same impact as he did against Italy but solid and dependable. 6/10

4. Maro Itoje: A constant thorn in the side of Wales, but his discipline cost England dearly. Lucky not to be sin-binned for five penalties alone. 5/10

5. Jonny Hill: Gave away a crucial penalty that enabled Wales to poach a try at a key moment. 5/10

6. Mark Wilson: England wanted work-rate from their blindside flanker and he delivered, albeit in a quiet display. 6/10

7. Tom Curry: Towering display from the openside, who harried Wales at every turn. His best outing of 2021. 7/10

8. Billy Vunipola: Knew he needed a big afternoon with his place in doubt and duly delivered. Carried with ferocity. 7/10

Replacements – When England needed the cavalry to come on and make an impression, they instead gave away yet more penalties. 3/10

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