Wales 23 England 15:Wales remain in pole position to retain their Six Nations title after a 23-15 win that saw their mettle tested by a resurgent England side, whose lack of discipline was again at the heart of defeat. Wales looked to have wrapped up the points with a Stephen Jones penalty and a Leigh Halfpenny try early in the second half, but Toby Flood replaced Andy Goode after the latter was sin-binned and sparked a revival that nearly derailed the homeside.
Stephen Jones, though, ensured Wales's third successive Six Nations victory against their arch-rivals by booting 18 points.
His immaculate six penalties from six attempts ensured Wales kept their heads above water, while wing Halfpenny's second successive Six Nations try kept England at distance.
England made two changes from the side that laboured to a 36-11 victory over Italy last Saturday, calling up Tindall and flanker Joe Worsley.
Wales, meanwhile, were without their record try-scorer Shane Williams, who succumbed to an ankle injury suffered during the tournament-opening victory over Scotland. Mark Jones replaced him, winning his 44th cap.
Wales were quickly into their stride, dominating early territory and taking a 3-0 lead through Jones's opening penalty inside three minutes.
England were penned inside their own half, and after Halfpenny arrowed a long-range penalty strike wide, the home side soon doubled their lead.
Jones duly obliged, profiting from England receiving a seventh yellow card in three Tests when Tindall was sin-binned for killing possession.
Johnson could scarcely disguise his sense of frustration, and his mood darkened when Jones landed a third penalty for a 9-0 advantage.
The visitors had offered next to nothing, yet they provided a bolt out of the blue for their long-suffering supporters by conjuring a try from nothing.
Goode, who had experienced a testing time in defence, floated a kick into space, and England reacted quickest as Sackey won the race to claim an opportunist touchdown.
Goode failed to land the difficult conversion, but England had served notice they were not in Cardiff simply to make up the numbers.
But just when England needed a solid start to the second period, their technical indiscipline surfaced again. Goode became the second England player to be sin-binned, and it had significant consequences for the visitors.
Jones slotted the resulting penalty, but worse was to follow for England as Wales struck a potentially telling blow.
Quick ball moved wide — Wales's trademark under head coach Warren Gatland — resulted in a slick try for Halfpenny, and England were suddenly staring defeat in the face at 17-8 adrift.
Johnson sent on Leicester's Flood for Goode, but Jones's fifth successful penalty left the visitors with a mountain to climb at 12 points adrift.
England knew they had no option but to play, rather than adopt safety-first tactics, and it had the desired effect after 57 minutes when Flood created the space to set Delon Armitage sprinting to the line from distance.
Armitage's angled run and score gave Wales food for thought, especially when Flood converted to make it 20-15.
England, despite trailing, were far more adventurous than at any time during their laboured victory against Italy last weekend, and Wales knew they could not relax entering the closing quarter.
Johnson made a quadruple 65th-minute substitution, sending on Julian White, Luke Narraway, Dylan Hartley and Mathew Tait, hoping that fresh legs might make a telling difference.
Wales, despite the promise of a healthy lead before Armitage struck, struggled to close the game out, and it was as if a muted audience sensed their struggle.
Jones's sixth penalty eased Welsh nerves as the clock ticked down, and when Flood missed an angled strike six minutes from time, Wales could begin to breathe a little easier, knowing their job was effectively done.
