Wales vs. England: Score and Reaction from 2017 Six Nations Round 2
England's Elliot Daly scored a dramatic late try to break Welsh hearts at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on Saturday, as the visitors notched a thrilling 21-16 win in the Six Nations.
After a Ben Youngs try put England 8-3 ahead early on, Wales rallied to a 13-8 lead at the break thanks to a penalty from Leigh Halfpenny and a converted try from Liam Williams.
In the second half, Wales continued to turn the screw but couldn’t shake off a defensively diligent England team. Two Owen Farrell penalties either side of one from Halfpenny set up a tense finale, before Daly struck for the visitors with just four minutes remaining.
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Earlier in the day, Ireland hammered Italy 63-10 in Rome. On Sunday, Scotland travel to Paris to take on France.
The Principality Stadium was a cauldron of noise as the match got started, and the home fans were even louder after just three minutes, as Halfpenny slotted a simple penalty to give Wales a 3-0 lead.
England didn’t take too long to find their feet, though, and they started to put together some forceful passages of play. One of those culminated in a penalty in the ninth minute, which Farrell put away, and following a period of pressure after 18 minutes, it was the visitors who scored the first try of the game.
Mike Brown came within inches of going over himself before Youngs picked up possession and hopped over the ruck to put England 8-3 up.
Per BBC Sport’s Tom Fordyce, England had built meticulously to fashion the try-scoring position:
Despite falling behind, Wales slowly regrouped and turned down the chance of an easy penalty in search of a try. Although they eventually spurned the opportunity, it was a signal of intent, and from there, they were able to smother England for much of the half.
Eventually, that pressure paid off. Scott Williams ran a superb dummy line off a Welsh scrum, and his namesake capitalised, touching down under the sticks. Halfpenny added the extra points, and the hosts had a 13-8 lead the break.
Double Olympic champion and Team Sky cyclist Geraint Thomas commented on the intensity and tension lacing the clash:
Wales carried that momentum into the second half and continued to force England back, with Ross Moriarty particularly impressive for the hosts. England were having to dig in to keep the Welsh out, and it was clear just how much of a physical toll it was taking on Eddie Jones’ side.
A cheap penalty conceded by the hosts allowed England to cut the deficit, with Farrell splitting the posts from 40 metres. Yet Wales were back on the front foot immediately, restoring their five-point advantage through a Halfpenny penalty with 20 minutes remaining.
Former England international Will Greenwood praised the fighting spirit from both sets of players as the match came toward the final stages:
The away side started to move through the gears late on, and the Cardiff fans grew even more nervy with 10 minutes remaining when a Farrell penalty meant Wales’ lead now stood at 16-14.
England capitalised on those doubts and marched down the field with the clock ticking down. When Wales had a chance to clear their lines, Jonathan Davies failed to find touch, clearing into the hands of George Ford; from there, England moved the ball wide to Daly, who surged into the corner to put England ahead with just four minutes left.
A conversion from Farrell saw England take a 21-16 lead, and Wales didn't have sufficient time to respond, giving the visitors a memorable triumph over their bitter rivals.
The visitors showed incredible determination, physical strength and composure to come away with the victory here. It's a testament to the work done by Jones, who has now won 15 straight matches since taking charge of the team, and his staff.
England have been far from their best in the 2017 Six Nations but have emerged with two wins from arguably their two most difficult matches. Another title and potentially another Grand Slam looks on the cards for this stellar outfit.
Reaction
Jones admitted afterwards that his team can't afford to leave things quite so late in the future. "I think we have used all of our get-out-of-jail cards," he said to BBC Sport. "I never think we are going to lose, but we don't want all our games to be that tight."
Meanwhile, Welsh lock Alun Wyn Jones lamented some late lapses in concentration from the home team. "It was a 75-minute performance from us," he told BBC. "I think that was the difference in the end. Ultimately, we didn't maintain that intensity for the whole of the second half."
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