England Player Ratings vs Wales
After all the entertainment of the pre-match press conferences over the past week, England and Wales finally met on Saturday afternoon, with England edging a tense 12-6 win at Twickenham.
It was a drama-filled spectacle, if not an end-to-end classic, but England’s hopes of a third-straight title remained alive thanks to an excellent defensive second half performance.
Gripping drama at Twickenham, but the reigning champions prevail…#ENGvWAL#NatWest6Nations pic.twitter.com/28XWfmkw8J
— NatWest 6 Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 10, 2018
We’ve rated the home side’s efforts below.
- Mike Brown – 8
The full-back spilled one ball under pressure that he had to cover a little too much ground to make, but other than that he was as safe as houses under the peppering of the Welsh kickers. He ran the ball back with intent and helped keep England in the right areas of pitch on a day when the conditions had a strong bearing on the game.
- Anthony Watson – 6
Injury saw Watson leave the game just after the half and he didn’t quite have the same impact on the game he did a week before. He was solid, particularly as a kick-chaser, where he pressured the Welsh back three.
- Jonathan Joseph – 6
The Bath centre certainly impressed with his defensive work on his return to the XV, particularly with his ability to blitz up and put pressure on the Welsh back-line, before drifting out with play and not getting caught out in wider channels. He didn’t have too many opportunities to influence the game in attack.
- Owen Farrell – 8
One errant pass aside, Farrell shone at Twickenham. From his long-distance grubber to send Jonny May through for his first try to countless line-breaks and manipulations of field position, the Saracens playmaker delivered the control England needed in the wet conditions. Saved an almost certain try with his cover defence on Aaron Shingler’s big second half break, too.
? @owen_faz *might* have enjoyed that…#ENGvWAL#NatWest6Nations pic.twitter.com/20M27UUroY
— NatWest 6 Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 10, 2018
- Jonny May – 7
Took his two tries well in the first half and constantly showed up on England’s kick chase. Had a quieter second half but still made a significant contribution in defence and in the aerial battle.
- George Ford – 6
Ford’s tactical kicking wasn’t quite as effective as it was a week before in Rome, but his fluency and connection with Farrell continued to impress. He was subbed off as England looked to see out the game, with Farrell moving inside to fly-half.
- Danny Care – 6
Didn’t quite inject the tempo into England that he often does off the bench, but with the wet conditions, that was understandable. A lot of England’s successful carries around the fringe ran through Care’s play at the breakdown. Lost some of his control in the second half.
- Mako Vunipola – 8
Got through a mountain of work, just as he did in Rome a week ago. Out-scrummaged both Italian looseheads in that game and more than held his own against the considerable step up in quality that was Samson Lee this week. Busted a gut for 76 minutes.
- Dylan Hartley – 7
Another game with 100% success rate at the lineout for Hartley. Not the biggest attacking contribution with ball in hand, but also complemented his set-piece work with an efficient defensive showing.
- Dan Cole – 6
Scrummaged evenly against Rob Evans and kept himself busy in the loose, as part of England’s successful battle with the gain-line.
- Joe Launchbury – 8
The Wasps lock had a monster game in terms of his work rate and carrying and set up May’s second try with a fine offload whilst being tackled towards touch by two Welsh players. Defended with impressive line-speed, too.
- Maro Itoje – 7
A good all-round showing, with the Saracens man’s line-speed showing up particularly well. Didn’t quite have his usual set-piece impact with limited lineouts but carried earnestly close to the ruck. Made some key one-on-one tackles late in the game.
- Courtney Lawes – 7
Lawes played an important role in England’s quick ball at the breakdown and really stood out clearing Welsh fetchers, an area which Wales dominated in for the most part. He seemed to be the go-to man at the lineout, too.
- Chris Robshaw – 7
A very industrious performance, with the flanker contributing significantly to England’s carrying-by-committee approach in the absence of Billy Vunipola. Coped well with the move to No 8 following the departure of Sam Simmonds.
- Sam Simmonds – 6
Had a good first half, albeit in a much more controlled way than his free-running performance against Italy, but an injury saw him leave the field at half-time.
Replacements
- Jamie George – 6
Missed an early lineout throw when replacing Hartley for a HIA but had success after. A slightly longer shift saw him show off his carrying and defensive work, too.
- Alec Hepburn – 6
Played his part in the late English defensive stand.
- Harry Williams – 6
Didn’t have much to do after coming on other than tackle until the final whistle and he delivered.
- George Kruis – 6
Strong showing off the bench, popping up at the lineout and with ball-in-hand.
- Sam Underhill – 6
Came on at half-time, replacing the inured Simmonds. Made an excellent try-saving tackle on Scott Williams when the game was still in the balance.
That’s what you want from #underhill such a quality player. Never give up
— Lewis Moody (@LewisMoody7) February 10, 2018
- Richard Wigglesworth – 6
Gave more control than a tiring Care, but his responsibilities were mainly defensive with Wales’ late push.
- Ben Te’o – 6
Didn’t have long to make an impact, as England looked to repel the Welsh onslaught and reorganised their midfield accordingly.
- Jack Nowell – 6
Looked dangerous with his footwork but coughed up a turnover and a penalty shortly after he arrived on the pitch.
Comments on RugbyPass
True Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
21 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
10 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
78 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
21 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
10 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
16 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
21 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
21 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
21 Go to comments