England Player Ratings vs Wales
England got their Rugby World Cup preparations under way at Twickenham on Sunday, as they beat Wales, 33-19.
There were some key questions for England still to answer ahead of Eddie Jones naming his 31-man squad for Japan on Monday and the Australian will be pleased with the performances of his charges, especially given the strength of the Welsh team that was brought to the capital.
We have run the rule over all 23 of England’s players below.
- Elliot Daly – 6
A quiet first half for Daly as England dominated possession, particularly in the first quarter, and denied him the opportunity to counter-attack. He will want his missed tackle on Gareth Davies back, although he linked the midfield and wings well in the times he did inject himself into the attacking line. Deserved man of the match solely for his audacious late drop goal.
- Joe Cokanasiga – 7
A bit of a mixed bag from Cokanasiga who was eager to look for work off of his wing and added to England’s power game around the fringes, coming into the game as a first receiver and pick and go option. On one loose Welsh kick he ran into traffic and was held up, coughing up the turnover as a result, whilst his first-up tackling on a couple of chases was inefficient, despite working hard to recover after. His physicality in attack was impressive.
https://twitter.com/EnglandRugby/status/1160541797501853696?s=20
- Jonathan Joseph – 8
Joseph was very influential early on, making telling contributions with all of his involvements, whether that was with precise passing and outside breaks in attack, or ripping the ball out of contact in defence. His defensive work in general was intelligent and effective throughout.
- Piers Francis – 7
If Francis’ role in the squad is to provide the Owen Farrell role from 2016 and 2017, he delivered at Twickenham. The Northampton inside centre put in a couple of thunderous tackles in defence and had soft hands to shift the point of contact in the midfield.
- Anthony Watson – 9
A strong showing from the Bath man who looked lively and sharp, despite missing most of last season with injury. He was good in the aerial competitions, displayed effective footwork and power as a carrier and chased and covered very well without the ball. Like Cokanasiga, he looked hungry for work and came in off his wing numerous times.
- George Ford – 6
A flawless kicking display will have pleased Jones, who will know he can rely on Ford’s boot in Japan if necessary. His tactical kicking fell short of Farrell’s with a few that were considerably beyond his chasers, although his play with ball in hand was solid and he linked well with Francis.
- Willie Heinz – 7
A confident debut from Heinz, whose array and timing of his passes in attack was a contributor to an impressive England first half. He was caught for speed on the blindside of the scrum on a couple of occasions, although managed the game well aside from that.
- Ellis Genge – 8
The loosehead caught the eye early with a typical bullocking carry, although it was his ability to turn the screw on Tomas Francis as the game went on that was the real takeaway. He held up well against early pressure from the Welsh scrum, before helping England gain an ascendancy.
- Luke Cowan-Dickie – 7
The hooker swooped on an overthrown Welsh lineout to grab a try on his first international start and his carrying was effective, if not spectacular throughout. One of his lineouts went amiss and he coughed up an unnecessary offside penalty in the second half, although it was an encouraging display from a player that has previously been limited to a role as Jamie George’s deputy.
https://twitter.com/EnglandRugby/status/1160549681581240320?s=20
- Dan Cole – 7
The Leicester tighthead provided a solid platform at the scrum and was able to provide his team with a turnover, as he forced a knock-on in defence. A solid 53-minute performance from the veteran.
- Joe Launchbury – 6
Launchbury went well in the loose, linking play and offering himself as a carrier and an option in support. He was an effective target for Cowan-Dickie at the lineout, too.
- Charlie Ewels – 7
England’s locking quartet is established at this point, although Ewels took his chance to impress greedily. He was an effective counter-rucker, pressured around the fringes for a charge down and had the line-speed to fit into England’s aggressive defence. He was targeted at the lineout successfully, too, taking two throws in the game.
- Lewis Ludlam – 8
A very confident and composed debut from Ludlam, who contributed in a number of ways. He was a physical carrier close to the ruck, made a number of big tackles, including a notable one on Ross Moriarty, and was persistently hunting the scrum-half and first receives with his line-speed.
- Tom Curry – 7
The flanker unfortunately had to hobble off after 28 minutes, although he was one of, if not the most impressive player on the pitch until his departure. His work rate was excellent as he tackled powerfully on the gain-line, popped up as a carrying threat on some incisive lines and made an important interception with his line-speed and read in defence.
- Billy Vunipola – 7
A bright start saw Vunipola demonstrate his strength in the carry and his early try came with four Welsh players wrapped around him. His soft hands helped link a couple of English attacks, too, and he kept working hard throughout the game.
.@bvunipola shows great strength to score England’s first.
Watch live now on @SkySports Action. #ENGvWAL #CarryThemHome pic.twitter.com/rtEbyFFDpU
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) August 11, 2019
Replacements
- Jack Singleton – n/a
Came on with less than a minute to play, although he did connect with his only lineout.
- Joe Marler – n/a
Unused replacement.
- Harry Williams – 6
Missed a costly tackle close to the England try line soon after coming on, although at scrum time he continued to turn the screw on Wales, proving to be a good combination with Genge.
- George Kruis – 6
Came on fairly late for Ewels, although immediately made his impact felt at the lineout.
- Courtney Lawes – 7
After replacing Curry early, Lawes impressed with his defensive work. The physicality of his scything tackles consistently repelled Wales’ power carriers and successfully switched momentum on a number of occasions. He also picked up a turnover at the breakdown, too.
- Ben Youngs – 6
Momentum had swung in Wales’ favour by the time Youngs replaced Heinz, which limited his ability to have the same offensive impact. That said, he provided pace in defence, particularly on the cover, which proved valuable.
- Joe Marchant – n/a
Came on with less than a minute to play.
- Manu Tuilagi – n/a
Offered impact after replacing Francis late on, including a powerful foray through two or three would-be Welsh tacklers.
Watch: Tom Curry speaks to the press ahead of England’s game with Wales
Comments on RugbyPass
The value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
3 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
37 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
37 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
3 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
37 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
37 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
37 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
37 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
37 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to comments