England player ratings vs Wales - Autumn Nations Cup
After recording victories over Georgia and Ireland, England wrapped up their pool stage journey at the Autumn Nations Cup with a laboured 24-13 win over Wales at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli.
It was not the polished all-court performance that Eddie Jones would have ideally liked heading into the Autumn Nations Cup final next weekend, though it is fair to say that at no point did England look like losing the game. Yet again, it was the physicality of the forwards which shone through for the Australian’s charges.
Read on below for our England player ratings.
Elliot Daly – 7/10
A strong showing from Daly whose quick catch and pass turned the edge of the Welsh defence and made Henry Slade’s try possible. His defence was also physical and effective, as well as popping up in midfield and utilising his distribution to counter Wales’ line-speed.
Jonathan Joseph – 7
It was not the game for a wing to thrive out wide and Joseph’s best moments with ball in hand came when he went looking for work in the midfield. Where did thrive, though, was in the kick chase and aerial contest, coming out on top on multiple occasions.
Henry Slade – 6
A mixed bag in the first half for Slade, whose attempted kick, with too little time and space, was returned by Wales for a try, though he redeemed himself with England’s first score of the game. It just didn’t quite click for Slade offensively.
Owen Farrell – 6
The fly-half shook off the nerves after missing his first two kicks and proceeded to make the next five from the tee. He was solid, particularly in defence, without ever quite reaching the heights he is capable of. England’s kick-heavy approach didn’t overly play into his hands as a second playmaker.
Jonny May – 7
May was a willing chaser and good aerial competitor all game long, and certainly helped pressure Wales on England’s kicks, though there were not too many other opportunities for the speedster to impose himself on the game.
George Ford – 6
A decent outing from Ford, without quite stamping his authority on the game in the way he would have liked. His carrying at first receiver was incisive, though a couple of his kicks went out on the full and he was not able to fully execute England’s plans with his boot.
Ben Youngs – 6
It was a livelier second half from Youngs, after a number of his kicks didn’t seem to quite be in synergy with England’s chase in the first half. His passing was accurate and quick from the base, too.
Mako Vunipola – 8
In addition to drawing two penalties out of Samson Lee at the scrum, Vunipola contributed significantly to an English set-piece that was largely on top of their Welsh counterparts throughout the game in Llanelli. The loosehead carried strongly, too, and was good value for his second half try.
Jamie George – 8
A thoroughly impressive showing from George, who was highly influential in the loose as a ball-carrier and link option in the wide channels, as well as connecting on all eight of his lineouts.
Kyle Sinckler – 7
Sinckler carried well at first receiver, worked hard to seal the edge in the maul and prospered at the scrum, drawing a penalty out of Wyn Jones.
Maro Itoje – 6
It was not a poor performance from Itoje by any means, though the lock was not quite as defensively destructive as he often can be. The nuts and bolts were done, certainly, with particular success disrupting Wales’ lineout.
Joe Launchbury – 8
A typically physical outing for Launchbury. He was frequently at the forefront of England’s kick-chase and his power in the tackle gave him plenty of success on the gain-line. He ran some clever out-to-in lines in the tight, too, bringing England valuable metres and front-foot ball.
Tom Curry – 8
A classy all-round performance from the young back rower, who was targeted multiple times in the lineout, was a persistent nuisance on the counter-ruck, won a turnover and was flawless on the kick receipt and carry. A performance that suggested he can fill any role in Jones’ back row.
Sam Underhill – 8
One of England’s more effective ball-carriers on the day, Underhill was an incisive option on the inside or outside shoulder of England’s first receiver forwards. The openside made a number of scything, physically dominant tackles that erased Welsh momentum.
Billy Vunipola – 6
Vunipola was solid across the board against Wales, with his carrying, kick receipts and tackling all efficient and positive on the gain-line for the most part.
Replacements
Luke Cowan-Dickie – 6
A big tackle seconds after coming on helped England to a turnover, whilst he also made the two lineouts he was on the pitch for.
Ellis Genge – 6
A statement first scrum from Genge, who tore into Tomas Francis after the Welsh tighthead had looked as though he’d brought his side a bit of parity at the set-piece.
Will Stuart – 6
Minutes on the pitch were limited for Stuart following his late arrival, though he did grab a turnover after the Welsh carrier helped him out by falling at his feet.
Jonny Hill – 6
Good energy and kick-chase from Hill after replacing Launchbury.
Ben Earl – n/a
Came on too late to have any real influence on the game.
Jack Willis – 7
Unsurprisingly burgled himself a turnover in his late cameo and continues to show he can make an impact in the Test arena.
Dan Robson – n/a
Came on too late to have any real influence on the game.
Anthony Watson – 7
Watson maintained every bit of the energy on the kick chase and aerial ability of Joseph when he arrived in the second half.
Comments on RugbyPass
“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to comments