Wales 40-24 England: Player ratings

Wales clinched the Triple Crown and kept their Grand Slam hopes on course with an at-times controversial 40-24 win over England in Cardiff in Saturday’s Six Nations clash. Pick through the player ratings from both sides after a dramatic Test at the Principality Stadium…

After Wales’ controversial Six Nations victory over England in Cardiff on Saturday, pick through the player ratings from both sides…

Wales

15. Liam Williams: Scored a highly debatable first-half try, but had a fine game in all areas. 8/10

14. Louis Rees-Zammit: Another strong showing by Wales’ new wing sensation and he almost scored at the end. 7/10

13. George North: Won his 100th cap for Wales and his team-mates obliged by helping secure a Triple Crown triumph. 7/10

12. Jonathan Davies: Returned to the Test arena after injury and gave a solid if quiet display. 6/10

11. Josh Adams: Scored his 15th Test try – highly controversially – after returning following a two-match ban for breaching coronavirus protocols. 7/10

10. Dan Biggar: Made his mark before going off early in the second period. 6/10

9. Kieran Hardy: A try-scoring contribution by the Wales number nine, who looks at home on the Test stage. 8/10

1. Wyn Jones: Another strong showing, especially in the scrums, by Wales’ loosehead prop. 7/10

2. Ken Owens: Showed all his experience, especially during the final quarter as Wales turned the screw. 7/10

3. Tomas Francis: Coped well with England loosehead prop Mako Vunipola. Solid and consistent. 7/10

4. Adam Beard: Delivered his best performance of this season’s Six Nations, particularly in the lineouts. 7/10

5. Alun Wyn Jones: Wales’ captain typically led from the front. He was involved in most things. 7/10

6. Josh Navidi: Made his first Test start since last March and looked like he had never been away. 8/10

7. Justin Tipuric: Made his presence felt in attack and defence, with another strong tackle count. 7/10

8. Taulupe Faletau: Comfortably the best player on the pitch. Magnificent in all areas. 9/10

Replacements – Fly-half Callum Sheedy led a strong Wales bench, kicking 13 points to underpin a superb result for Wales. 8/10

England

15. Elliot Daly: Ran with so much conviction but his intent was let down by mistakes. 6/10

14. Anthony Watson: Makes ground with every carry and finished a well-deserved try. A real threat. 7/10

13. Henry Slade: Saw more ball than at any time in recent memory as England played with greater ambition. 6/10

12. Owen Farrell: The England captain’s best game for some time. Harshly treated by referee Pascal Gauzere. 6/10

11. Jonny May: Unable to unleash his running game but was a huge aerial threat, making some tricky catches. 6/10

10. George Ford: One pass to Slade was trademark Ford and he was part of backline that showed enterprise but kicked poorly. 5/10

9. Ben Youngs: Dummied his way over for a try that hauled England back into contention but it was not enough. 6/10

1. Mako Vunipola: A performance of high work-rate rather than eye-catching moments. Tackled hard. 6/10

2. Jamie George: Being dropped against Italy induced an impressive shift from the hooker who sent Watson over for his try. 6/10

3. Kyle Sinckler: Struggled to make the same impact as he did against Italy but solid and dependable. 6/10

4. Maro Itoje: A constant thorn in the side of Wales, but his discipline cost England dearly. Lucky not to be sin-binned for five penalties alone. 5/10

5. Jonny Hill: Gave away a crucial penalty that enabled Wales to poach a try at a key moment. 5/10

6. Mark Wilson: England wanted work-rate from their blindside flanker and he delivered, albeit in a quiet display. 6/10

7. Tom Curry: Towering display from the openside, who harried Wales at every turn. His best outing of 2021. 7/10

8. Billy Vunipola: Knew he needed a big afternoon with his place in doubt and duly delivered. Carried with ferocity. 7/10

Replacements – When England needed the cavalry to come on and make an impression, they instead gave away yet more penalties. 3/10