England 12 Wales 19:The Welsh sang Bread of Heaven and celebrated a deserved if agonisingly tight Triple Crown. But England left Twickenham after a 19-12 defeat knowing that English rugby has a future.
Those were the two main conclusions from a Six Nations match which was as pulsating and as frantic as sport gets and given a truly dramatic finale when David Strettle appeared to have scored in the final seconds, only for the video official to rule that the touchdown was inconclusive.
England coach Stuart Lancaster should not be too disappointed. In fact when he watches the video he need only listen to the roar which accompanied Owen Farrell leaving the field after 65 minutes nursing a leg injury.
Farrell’s performance said everything about the progress England are making under Lancaster. In Farrell, England knew they had a superb kicker and he scored all their points. They now know they have a creative playmaker too.
Remember, England had not been given a hope. They had scrambled unimpressive victories against Scotland and Italy and Wales were World Cup semi-finalists, touted by many as the best side in the northern hemisphere.
The gulf in experience between the sides was stark. Lancaster’s side had six players making their first international appearances at Twickenham in the most inexperienced England team to play a championship match for 23 years.
Their total of 182 caps in the starting line-up was dwarfed by Wales’ total of 488. And at first that experience counted. So much so that how on earth England found themselves 3-0 up with a Farrell penalty after 23 minutes is a mystery.
They had been pulverised to that point. They had barely been out of their own half. Wales had shown their superior power with their pack wresting the initiative in the scrum and recycling the ball at a much swifter rate than England.
George North, Leigh Halfpenny and Alex Cuthbert looked dangerous, punching holes in the England defence, promising much. We waited for the Welsh points to rack up the tries against the rookies in white shirts. There was a hush around Twickenham.
But there is one quality in sport which is more vital even than talent. It is heart. And Lancaster’s side have a huge heart. They weathered that initial onslaught and while Farrell and Halfpenny swapped penalties to make it 6-6 there was a sense that England had built a bridge head.
A platform which gave Farrell a stage to display his rugby talents. There were those who believed Lancaster had taken a gamble in switching Farrell to stand-off in the absence of the injured Charlie Hodgson. There was a worry that he lacked the pace and penetration to orchestrate the game.
Well, Farrell proved them wrong. Not just with his goal-kicking which was exemplary. But also with his invention which saw him throw out long raking passes and put in little chip kicks over the top.
One of them saw him stopped in his tracks by the tank which is 6ft 4ins North. Another saw him go close to grabbing the first touchdown. The point was that here was a man prepared to innovate, a player with ideas and daring, a man wonderfully schooled in the art of playmaking by his dad, England assistant coach Andy.
No wonder Twickenham resounded to a sustained roar when England went in 9-6 at half-time with Farrell having kicked three penalties.
The impetus swayed even more in England’s favour after 46 minutes when Wales Rhys Priestland was sin-binned for offside and Farrell kicked the resulting penalty. Back came Wales with a Halfpenny penalty. It was that sort of match. A match of huge pride, colossal collisions and brave tackles.
That almost defines rugby in the modern era. Tries are not conceded cheaply by the top sides. They have to be chiselled from a rock face of organised defence. Wales did not help themselves. Priestland’s kicking at times was wasteful. His decision-making in the loose also left much to be desired.
Wales also squandered a perfect opportunity when Scott Williams failed to feed Halfpenny.
Williams, however, made up for his error when he robbed Courtney Lawes, kicked forward and reclaimed the ball to go over for the winning try.
England:Foden, Ashton, Tuilagi, Barritt, Strettle, Farrell, Dickson, Corbisiero, Hartley, Cole, Botha, Parling, Croft, Robshaw, Morgan. Replacements:Brown for Foden (77), Flood for Farrell (65), Youngs for Dickson (60), Stevens for Corbisiero (65), Webber for Hartley (72), Lawes for Botha (60), Dowson for Morgan (72).
Wales:Halfpenny, Cuthbert, J. Davies, Roberts, North, Priestland, Phillips, Jenkins, Owens, A. Jones, A. Jones, Evans, Lydiate, Warburton, Faletau. Replacements:S. Williams for Roberts (40), R. Jones for A. Jones (54). Not Used: Hibbard, James, Tipuric, L. Williams, Hook. Sin Bin: Priestland (45).
Attendancet:80,764
Referee:Steve Walsh (Australia).
