Cardiff, Wales – England had a terrible day in Cardiff. They stopped the championship fee here at this magical location in Welsh Rugby.
However, this was not the case on a Saturday afternoon. Steve Borthwick’s side blew through Wales, earning 10 attempts and 68-14. It was the day the records were shredded.
Securing the championship was not enough. France defeated Scotland, but Britain did what they had to do to maintain the pressure, handing Wales a brutal, beautiful, thorough assault. It was the most point Wales ever recognized in Cardiff, winning their greatest rivals in England’s biggest championship in history.
England clicked. The Curry Brothers were from another planet – Wales must have felt drunk as they faced the double perspective of this brilliance of failure. Maroije was immeasurable. The captain wasn’t heavy at all, but instead he cheered him up. Finn Smith was great again in the fly half, but this was the first time I’d seen Henry Pollock in the test stages. His smile stretched from ear to ear as he ran for his debut, and he marked it with a pair of tries.
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How England showed “big signs of progress” in Six Nations
Tom Hamilton responds to England’s second-place finish with the Six Nations behind France.
Borthwick’s plan for pace and intensity was almost perfect. Even emergency planning was necessary. Chandler Cunningham South played 61 minutes in the second row, while Ben Earl spent 30 minutes in center.
Still, England did not fade as they drove a big victory, reduced one of the best vibes of world rugby to tweets, and sprinkled with British cheers.
There was quiet optimism before the match. Now, that flame of hope has been wiped out by the utterly ruthless English side, which improved the match in this championship.
Hopes for a Wales revival have been cancelled. They looked second best in all regions, unable to cope with the strength of England and lost contact areas.
This was not what Welsh rugby was like. Even four hours after kickoff, Westgate Street was a bedram. There were several fans struggling to contain stormtroopers, daffodils and alcohol that had been consumed by early afternoon. Cardiff was foaming and felt like he was threatening to boil anytime. English fans were said where they could “push” their tanks.
The Red people were all set to become Welsh parties as the group wanted the class of 1967, 1999, 2007 and 2013 to halt England’s title responsibility.
However, England refused to buy into that script as they swiped aside their best rivals in the best performance of Borthwick tenure. England responded to Borthwick’s pre-match challenge and discovered that Wales were unable to live together, and they blew the hosts in the opening stage and won Malo Itoge in three minutes.
Wales thought they would soon bring out the level through Blair Murray, but his efforts were chalked for Tomos Williams’ Tom Curry tackle. Therefore, accordingly, England doubled in the 10th minute, with Tom Roeback scoring well in his first start. England’s momentum temporarily stopped when Ollie Chessum was kicked out in the 19th minute with a shoulder injury. It ran his hips on the rock and Wales threatened to come back to it.
They had some joy, but ran into an inadequate mistake, just as Gareth Annscom, with a penalty in the 24th minute, had lost a criminally missing touch. Luke Cowan-Dickie’s outstanding tap tackle on a vibrant Murray prevented him from sprinting, and Ben Thomas ultimately scored on the 30-minute mark, but all that helped was to reignite the British fire. From the resulting kickoff, Anzucom was accused by the ubiquitous Ben Curry, from which England never blinked.
By halftime, England had won a handful of attempts. Tommy Freeman has scored five in five, making him the second player in the Men’s Six Nations to achieve a scoring feat in each match, comparable to Philip Barnat Sales’ achievements from the 2001 championship. Cunningham South dug a hole in the 38th minute, and Stuart avoided the halftime buzzer. The contest is over.
In the second half, England was able to empty the bench and try new combinations to make the home easier. Mitchell scored a breakaway try in the 55th minute, with Pollock grabbing one on his Test debut in the 67th minute, and Joe Hayes took England’s eighth place with 10 minutes remaining. Wales grabbed the late comfort by passing Thomas in the 77th minute after their first sales in the match.
But England had a final say. Pollock and Cunningham Southhammer ultimately stopped the full stop of England’s ninth and tenth match. This was a day of dreams for England.
For Wales, this result was a humble reality check. This sent them back to Square One for all the ambitions and improvements they saw under interim head coach Matt Shellatt against Ireland and Scotland. It was an absolute disaster, and this should simply be their lowest. Welsh rugby cannot be skied any further.
It is an erasure by their intense rivals, and this pain must cause a wholesale change. This was the second point to be recognized in a Test match, after only 96 shipped to South Africa in 1998.
For the UK, this was evidence of famous days and progress. The six England countries began with a gross day in Ireland, but followed with a one-point victory in France and Scotland. They ran their luck for both wins, but they barely cared. They got the job done against Italy.
And in Wales it was perfect. It was a performance that defined the era. Pollock must think of this international rugby lark as simple.
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How England made history in Six Nations Thrashing Wales
Check out how history was made in Britain’s 68-14 victory over Wales at the Six Nations.
There was an amazing performance overall, but Ben Curry was perfect. He was the Chief’s stimulant on the Welsh floor, his defense was merciless and everywhere.
“Everyone has seen Ben (Curry) not have praise for many years. I feel that Ben is just as good as Tom on sale,” Roebuck said afterwards. “They are huge for us.” The man himself happily crowned the players in the match. “This is what you dream of,” Ben Curry said. “I love being part of this team. I’ve not had many opportunities in the last few years, so I love being part of this team.”
Tom Curry was also great, but Ito gave an even better performance in the second row. This could still be the weekend he creeped up in front of Kaelan Doris for the captain of the British and Ireland Lions.
Finn Smith shows why he is the fly half and the present and future, and Freeman managed to get away with the outside center in his first England start.
England dominated the set’s work and benefited from the sides – Elliot Daly held a show against yet another age-defying, and the bench also had the necessary impact. Pollock lived in hype in his two-match show, and George Ford managed things effortlessly to 10th place to win his 99th cap in the 56th minute.
All of this gives Lions coach Andy Farrell a great headache ahead of the squad’s announcement on May 8th. On such a weekend, the Lions Squad changes.
After the match, England’s attention turned to Paris, hoping for favors from Scotland.
Just as Scotland threatened to be shaken up, a trophy lift setting was being built in Cardiff. They tested the audio system at an empty Principality Stadium with an unlikely opportunity for Scotland to get the job done. But France did what it needed to do.
But this should not take away anything from what England did in this grass earlier in the day.
This is a treasured England performance and must be a benchmark to advance. It was close to the perfect day England had ever had on this side of the bridge of Welsh soil.
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