RED ROSE RATINGS - WALES 21 - 13 ENGLAND

RED ROSE RATINGS – WALES 21 - 13 ENGLAND

               Date: 23rd February 2019

               Location: Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales

               Referee: Jaco Peyper

               Attendance: 74,000

England's dreams of a grand slam were ended by a dogged Welsh outfit that remain unbeaten. The Red Roses were unable to generate anything close to the levels of attacking success they'd enjoyed in their previous two encounters. Despite a solid start in the first half it was Warren Gatland's side that came out roaring in the second period as they smothered the English on their way to a superb test match win.

15 – Elliot Daly (Wasps) – 5

Was well wide of the mark early on with a long-range penalty attempt. All at sea in the final moments as he lost out to Josh Adams under the high ball but did have a few breaks forward that offered a reminder of his footwork and speed.

14 – Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs) - 7

Continued his impressive Six Nations with a hardworking display. Came in off his wing to help out at the breakdown and made some important and puncturing carries when England needed them the most. Also made some solid catches when called upon in the backfield.

13 – Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs) – 6

Worked hard in attack but was largely nullified by the impressive Welsh centre pairing. Looked like he had a chance to put Johnny May through with the grubber kicks he has employed so successfully in the past but turned it down.



12 – Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers) - 6

Very quiet first half but grew into things in the second period, one of the few players for England who did it this way round. Looked a little shaky in defence and failed to regularly crash over the gain-line, did the rumour mill and Racing 92 conversations affect him?

11 – Johnny May (Leicester Tigers) - 6

No try this time out for England's 'ferrari' as Wales controlled his attacking threat wonderfully. Raced forward on a couple of occasions but found it difficult against an organised backline. Played well when tested in defence, catching and tackling well.

10 – Owen Farrell (Saracens) - 6

Defensively fierce but seemed off the pace with his kicking game especially in the second half. Was probably edged out by Gareth Anscombe in the fly-half battle but saw any hold of the game completely wrestled from him when the nerveless Dan Biggar was introduced towards the end.

9 – Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers) - 6

Very few holes in the Welsh defence meant Youngs had to come up with something special to break the red wall,  unfortunately for England this was something he rarely did. Played his part in a fast-paced first half but Wales did a great job in slowing him down later in the match.

1 – Ben Moon (Exeter Chiefs) - 6

Involved in a brilliant battle with his Welsh opposite numbers at the scrum and got through an impressive number of tackles. Seems to lack the dynamism of Mako Vunipola in the loose though.

2 – Jamie George (Saracens) - 7

Hit his man efficiently and cleanly throughout at the lineout and gave Wales plenty to think about in the loose. Put in a big shift defensively and looked to cause problems for the hosts at the breakdown.

3 – Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins) – 7

Got through an enourmous number of tackles and defended valiantly keeping the Welsh at bay for large periods of the encouter. At this point his monstrous hits had him riding out front as one of the players of the match but some characteristic moments of petulance saw the 'timebomb' sour his otherwise impressive game.

4 – Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints) - 7

England needed his huge-hitting presence, of which he brought many, and there was a marked decline in physicality when he was forced off with a concerning injury. It was his turnover that built the platform for Tom Curry's score.

5 – George Kruis (Saracens) - 6

Mixed day for the Saracens lock at the lineout for which he is so prominent. Stole and disrupted Welsh ball and made it a difficult day for Ken Owens but gave away penalties at this battleground too.

6 – Mark Wilson (Newcastle Falcons) - 6

Worked hard but saw his breakdown threat thwarted by Navidi and Tipuric. Was often there in attack too but like on the other side of the ball he was unable to produce anything of merit as Wales stood strong.

7 – Tom Curry (Sale Sharks) - 8

England's best player and scorer of their only try. His five-pointer was a lovely bit of quick thinking as he picked and went to capitalise on a very rare Welsh hole. Tackled from the off and did some impressive work over the ball on his way to winning much needed penalties.

8 – Billy Vunipola (Saracens) - 6

Led the column for carries which would normally spell serious trouble for a defending team but Wales did a fantastic job in ensuring these weren't as damaging as they so often are. Little sign of the usual threat he brings to the table.

SUBS:

Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs) - N/A

Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers) - N/A

Harry Williams (Exeter Chiefs) - 7

Brad Shields (Wasps) - N/A

Joe Launchbury (Wasps) - 6
Joe Cokanasiga (Bath) - 6

Henry Justice