England has secured a nervous 20-10 victory over Wales in the Six Nations encounter. The win marks England’s second successive win following the home victory over Italy but made it three defeats out of three for Wales. The result is a wretched week for Wales, who threatened to strike in their row with the Welsh union. England full-back Freddie Steward was named player of the match as he dominated the aerial battle, with Wales continually kicking at him. The defeat means Wales will drop to 10th in the world rankings, and they have to travel to face Italy and France to avoid a first Six Nations whitewash in 20 years.
England started strong with an early penalty from Owen Farrell and a try for Anthony Watson, making his first start in two years.
Wales briefly gained the lead after an intercept try by Louis Rees-Zammit at the start of the second half. However, England regained the lead after Kyle Sinckler burrowed over, and Ollie Lawrence added another well-crafted try to make the game safe only 10 minutes from the end.
England dominated most of the second half, but they missed several chances to extend their lead, including four missed kicks from captain Owen Farrell, who struggled in front of the posts. Despite their dominant performance, England will need to improve if they want to compete with the top teams in the championship.
Wales, on the other hand, had a chaotic last 10 days in the Welsh game that saw them suffer a third successive Six Nations defeat since Warren Gatland’s return as head coach. The build-up to the game was marred by a player contract row that threatened to see the game called off. Despite fielding a side with nine changes, Wales were unable to overcome their troubled preparation and suffered their worst start in the tournament since 2007.
England full-back Freddie Steward was named player of the match as he dominated the aerial battle, with Wales continually kicking at him. Steward’s performance helped England secure their first win at the Principality Stadium since 2017 and their biggest victory in Cardiff since 2003.
England’s victory puts them in a good position in the championship, with two big games against France and Ireland to come. Ireland currently leads the Six Nations after three bonus-point wins, but Scotland faces France in Paris on Sunday.
Wales will need to regroup to avoid a first Six Nations whitewash in 20 years.
Overall, it was a scrappy encounter that showed how much both teams have to do to become competitive in the championship. England will need to improve their accuracy in front of the posts, while Wales will need to regroup and overcome their troubled preparation to avoid a first Six Nations whitewash in 20 years.