Back in their basement suite at the team hotel in Cardiff Bay, England raised a glass. It was not the champagne on ice by the emergency trophy presentation stage — that belonged to France — but a toast to one of Steve Borthwick’s most ruthless victories.
By the time England left the Principality Stadium, France were already beating Scotland. No renditions of The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond were going to change England’s fate, yet that did not put a dampener on a day to live long in the memory.
This was a murderous English performance. Wales were crushed, overpowered from start to finish. Made to look like the first lambs of the season on Springwatch and were offered no mercy at all.
Welsh fans streamed out of the ground with 15 minutes to go, staring down the barrel of their biggest defeat by the English in Cardiff in 143 years. This was not an English victory built on squeezing the opposition and disrupting their rhythm.
England were the aggressors. They imposed their own game and Borthwick rounded off his press conference with a glowing endorsement for Maro Itoje to captain the Lions this summer.
Henry Pollock scored a double off the bench on his debut, while Tom Roebuck won almost all of his duels out on the wing. Fin Smith all but secured the victory before George Ford came off the bench to finish the job.
England briefly took first place in the Six Nations standings following a dominant performance against Wales on Saturday – but France ultimately usurped them
Steve Borthwick’s men ran in ten tries to conclude the clash with a ruthless score of 68-14 at the Principality Stadium
Wales, meanwhile, have suffered their 17th consecutive defeat and end up with another Wooden Spoon in the Six Nations
Outside the stadium, rust is already beginning to appear through the black paint on Gatland’s Gate. Fans gathered early to take selfies in front of it but the ode to their former coach already feels like a relic of the past. It is a nod to a golden era for Welsh rugby.
This team already feels twice removed from Gatland’s methods, although they are hanging on to the run of 17 defeats like an umbilical cord.
The buses arrived through a wall of noise through the gates on Westgate Street. For many of the English players, this was their first visit. A baptism at one of the cathedrals of world rugby. There are no spires, just peaks in emotional intensity. A place for pilgrims of hope, thousands of them. Choirs from Risca, hymns and arias, an atmosphere that fizzed.
Yet within three minutes, the hope was crushed to a silence. Roebuck got on the end of a kick pass; the first of many. Elliot Dee fell offside and Itoje claimed the ball at the tail of the line-out. England’s lock has thrived in his first campaign as skipper and his pack peeled around to create the opening for a captain’s try that doused the pre-match inferno.
With three turnover specialists in their back row, England’s intent was clear. Ben Earl was like a limpet at the ruck, winning turnovers to kill any Welsh momentum. The Curry twins were relentless, too.
It seems like a matter of time before ‘going for a Tom and Ben’ becomes part of rugby’s dictionary of slang. Blair Murray had an early try ruled out and moments later the Welsh full-back was being dragged over the line as Roebuck scored England’s second within 10 minutes.
Whenever Wales play England, they bring something that cannot be measured by numbers. The locals call it hwyl. A spirit, but not of the liquid form. Something infinitely more powerful than the stuff sloshing around in the beer glasses in Cardiff from the breakfast hours.
Jac Morgan has it in spades but even Wales’ talisman struggled to get into the fight. Luke Cowan-Dickie made one of the best tackles of career when he felled Murray with a desperate clip of his ankles.
Now, France, led by coach Fabien Galthie, must beat Scotland in order to reclaim the first place
Northampton Saints flanker Henry Pollock scored twice in the second half in his debut for England
Toby Faletau and Aaron Wainwright lurked in the wide channels as they desperately tried to exploit England’s edge defence. Briefly, England’s penalty count ramped up and Ben Thomas scored under the posts, but the resistance did not last.
But losing has become a habit here and the English were ruthless. Wales got into England’s 22 just once in the first half. Marcus Smith was alive in attack, getting his hands on the ball and forcing defenders onto their toes. Roebuck continued to prowl in the wide channels, gathering a crossfield kick before Tommy Freeman scored, becoming the first ever Englishman to score in every round of the competition.
England lost Ollie Chessum to injury in the first quarter but their lack of lock cover proved no issue. Chandler Cunningham-South took over and secured the bonus point inside 38 minutes, before Will Stuart added a fifth before the break to leave the Welsh fans with the most demoralising visit to the bar at half-time.
Early in the second half, England’s contingency planning was tested to its limit. Freeman suffered an injury, meaning Earl was shifted into the centres as Pollock made his debut in the back row.
Pollock looked to the manner born, milking a mischievous penalty in his first act by clinging on to Gareth Thomas’ sock. England struck from the set-piece, with Mitchell fly-hacking the ball downfield to score.
The tries kept coming. Pollock scored his first, showing a burst of acceleration down the wing, before Joe Heyes punched over from close range. ‘Can we play we you every week,’ chanted the English fans.
Ben Thomas scored a consolation but England were ruthless, stamping their authority on the match until the death. A long and painful death, if you were supporting the Welsh.
Pollock scored a second before Cunningham-South struck again in the final play. By the end of the night, this spectacular cathedral of Welsh rugby felt more like a morgue, silent, with some unused fireworks that will be saved for better days.
Tommy Freeman, meanwhile, became the first Englishman to score in all five rounds of the Six Nations
Pollock looked to the manor born, milking a mischievous penalty in his first act by clinging onto Gareth Thomas’ sock. England struck from the set-piece, with Mitchell fly-hacking the ball downfield to score.
Pollock was next on the scoresheet and the tries kept coming. Pollock scored his first, showing a burst of acceleration down the wing, before Joe Heyes punched over from close range.
‘Can we play we you every week,’ chanted the English fans.
Ben Thomas scored a consolation but England were ruthless. They kept coming like a juggernaut, stamping their authority on the match until the death. A long and painful death, if you were supporting the Welsh. Pollock scored a second before Cunningham- South struck again in the final play. By the end of the night, this spectacular cathedral of Welsh rugby felt more like a morgue.
