England vs. Wales: Score and Reaction from 2016 Six Nations Round 4

England completed the Rugby Triple Crown on Saturday, beating Wales 25-21 in Round 4 of the 2016 Six Nations.

Owen Farrell kicked England to a nine-point lead in the first half before Anthony Watson scored the first try of the match, as the hosts dominated before half-time.

Wales improved after the break, however, and Dan Biggar put the visitors on the board to set up a nervy finish. Wales reduced the deficit to four points through George North and Taulupe Faletau, taking advantage of Dan Cole's yellow card, but England hung on for a deserved win.

Per Simon Thomas of WalesOnline, Wales coach Warren Gatland thought his team were in a better position for Saturday's clash than the meeting between both sides at least year's Rugby World Cup:

"

We feel like there’s a lot of strength in depth and a lot of experience. The two young props have continued to get better and better. Samson Lee had been coming back from injury during the World Cup. We feel Samson and Rob Evans have done really well and Scott Baldwin has continued to get better and better as a hooker as well. So up front we feel pretty settled and pretty confident at the moment and then having Jonathan Davies back in that midfield with that experience as well.

"

Actor Hugh Laurie was looking forward to this match:

The hosts started very well, with Mike Brown taking possession immediately and pushing forward. Just two minutes into the contest, the TMO was needed to review whether or Ben Youngs had opened the score, but it was determined he had knocked the ball on with his elbow.

George Ford drove the England attack early, and after eight minutes, the hosts took the lead, as Farrell kicked a penalty after Jamie Roberts failed to roll away.

ESPN Scrum's Tom Hamilton liked what he saw from England:

The TMO denied England another try early in the first half, as video officials couldn't find any footage of Dan Cole touching down. Gareth Davies made the key play, getting his arm underneath the ball, but England got another penalty from the ensuing scrum, and Farrell doubled their lead.

Wales opened up and enjoyed their first attacks of the match, but some sloppy passing saw England regain control, and Farrell added three more points after the Welsh scrum was judged to have wheeled again.

Per the Six Nations' official Twitter account, penalties were killing Wales:

Maro Itoje impressed by stealing two lineouts in quick succession, and the English pressure continued. But for all of their dominance, the hosts' lead was just nine points at the halfway point of the first half.

They finally scored their first try of the match after 32 minutes, as Itoje fought off the tackles before feeding Brown, who in turn found Watson, who popped over.

Rugby writer Brendan Gallagher was full of praise for Itoje, who made the try happen:

Bleacher Report UK couldn't help but take a shot at the Welsh side:

Wales were finally able to spend some time in the England half just before the break, but the score remained unchanged at half-time, as the hosts led 16-0.

Itoje was the man of the moment, playing a fantastic half of rugby, but manager Eddie Jones had reasons to be proud of all of his players, who put together one of their bests halves of rugby in ages.

The hosts picked up where they left off to start the second half, as Brown immediately broke a tackle and made well over 20 yards. Wales soon gave away another penalty at the breakdown, and Farrell increased England's lead to 19 points.

The Press Association's Aisling Ennis didn't understand what Wales were doing:

Wales turned down two options to put points on the board in order to work their scrum, knowing they were running out of time and needed tries. 

The choice paid off, as Biggar chased down Ford after Youngs lobbed a lazy pass and touched down himself. He also added the conversion, making the score 19-7.

Per Hamilton, the visitors gladly accepted the try almost gifted to them:

Wales' bid to complete the comeback took a hit when Sam Warburton was carted off with an apparent head injury, but the visitors continued to push forward, making for a far more even second half.

Manu Tuilagi celebrated his return to the England squad in the second half, replacing the impressive Ford, and his team, Leicester Tigers, were among the many to welcome him back, via their Twitter account:

Tuilagi immediately forced a penalty with his first carry, which Farrell kicked to push England's advantage and all but put away the Welsh team. He added to his tally three minutes later.

Cole was sin-binned with eight minutes left to play, and Wales took full advantage, as North and Faletau scored in quick succession, and the two conversions brought the deficit down to four points with minutes left to play.

More from Bleacher Report UK:

But despite some late pressure, Wales couldn't find the last try needed to beat England, who booted the ball into the stands to secure the Triple Crown. 

England will travel to France on Saturday, March 19, looking to complete the Grand Slam, while Wales will play host to winless Italy.

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