Wales 19 England 9:England's World Cup preparations suffered a major jolt at the Millennium Stadium as Wales exposed their chronic lack of flair or imagination. Three Toby Flood penalties underpinned a bash-and-smash England display that saw them waste numerous attacking opportunities after enjoying set-piece domination.
Wales, having lost Gavin Henson and Rhys Priestland to first-half injuries, dug deep, conjured a 58th-minute try for full-back James Hook that he also converted, and then comfortably kept England out.
Celebrity centre Henson departed with a wrist problem following an impressive 30-minute display, while outhalf Priestland, who kicked two penalties, hurt his left thigh. Henson is due to undergo a scan before Wales coach Warren Gatland knows the full extent of his injury.
The 29-year-old has never played in a World Cup, with this potential setback arriving just 18 days before departure to New Zealand.
Two long-range Hook penalties sealed the deal for a Wales side whose defensive heroics — marshalled by their magnificent captain Sam Warburton — ultimately won the day. It was just Wales’ sixth victory in the last 21 Tests, yet the result should do wonders for morale as they build towards a punishing World Cup pool that also includes South Africa, Samoa and Fiji.
But England will head back to their Surrey training base for a collective bout of head-scratching. Rarely, in the modern international game, can one team have enjoyed such sustained supremacy but failed to ram home that advantage where it really counts - on the scoreboard.
England’s midfield combination of Mike Tindall and Shontayne Hape was again exposed as slow and one-dimensional — Hape’s garish green boots were the only eye-catching thing about him — while team discipline creaked far too often.
If the purpose of World Cup warm-up games is to identify problems before the main event, then England boss Martin Johnson will assess the trip to Cardiff as a worthwhile exercise. But there was nothing in England’s display to give any of the southern hemisphere super-powers that await them in New Zealand this autumn the remotest reason for a sleepless night.
