England 33-30 Wales player ratings
England claimed the Triple Crown with an enthralling 33-30 victory over Wales at Twickenham in the Six Nations.
The hosts took an early lead through an impressive opening try from the returning Anthony Watson, but did not have it all their own way as Manu Tuilagi was sent off and Wales fought back late on to earn a losing bonus point.
Here, we take a look at how both sets of players performed as these old rivals clashed…
England
Elliot Daly: Showed his clinical touch with the try-line beckoning to help England build an important lead in the first half. 7 (out of 10)
Anthony Watson: The winger celebrated his first England appearance since the World Cup final with an outstanding finish to get the hosts up and running. 8
Manu Tuilagi: Under the new laws his late red card was justified, but he was always a threat prior to then. 6
Owen Farrell: The skipper was undisciplined at times and looked close to losing his cool, but his kicking from the tee was immaculate. 7
Jonny May: A collision with Leigh Halfpenny in mid-air meant his afternoon ended with a failed head injury assessment. 6
George Ford: The fly-half kicked exquisitely in general play and his final pass for Daly’s try was timed to perfection. 8
Ben Youngs: Reached 99 caps and marked the occasion with a man-of-the-match display. 8
Joe Marler: Another solid display in the front row from the prop who reversed his decision to retire from international rugby last year. 7
Jamie George: A rampaging force for England who relished the close-quarter combat against old rivals. 8
Kyle Sinckler: A quiet Six Nations by his standards to this point, but came up with a dominant performance at the scrum. 7
Maro Itoje: Appeared to be everywhere early on but rolled up his sleeves when he was needed in the trenches. 8
George Kruis: A wave to the crowd as he was replaced hinted this was his last England performance. If so, he finished on a high. 8
Courtney Lawes: A powerful roaming force for England who was typically destructive in all areas. 7
Mark Wilson: After four months spent battling a knee injury, he got stuck into Wales as if he had never been away. 7
Tom Curry: Making strides as a number eight and perhaps he does have a long term future in the position. 8
Wales
Leigh Halfpenny: Started the game with goalkicking duties, booting two penalties as Wales went close at the end to achieving a famous win. 6
George North: Had few opportunities in attack but he ran strongly when he did. Solid all-round effort. 7
Nick Tompkins: The Saracens centre continues to adapt well in the early stages of his Test career and has a bright future. 7
Hadleigh Parkes: Struggled to make a consistent impact on the contest, although he was strong defensively. 6
Liam Williams: Made his first appearance since the World Cup after recovering from an ankle injury but England marshalled him well. 6
Dan Biggar: Bounced back from a knee injury suffered last weekend to score a try and boss the second half for Wales. Outstanding. 8
Tomos Williams: Made his presence felt around the forward fringes before being replaced by Rhys Webb just after half-time. 6
Rob Evans: Relished his return to the Wales starting XV after missing out on the World Cup, enjoyed the physical battle. 7
Ken Owens: Did all his basics impressively – set-piece and line-out throwing – but it was not to be for Wales on this occasion. 7
Dillon Lewis: Suffered an injury just before half-time and did not reappear for the second period. 6
Jake Ball: Another Wales player who unfortunately did not last the distance, suffering what appeared to be a shoulder injury. 6
Alun Wyn Jones: The Wales captain typically led from the front, particularly during a second half when his team were on the front foot. 7
Ross Moriarty: Gave everything that Wales head coach Wayne Pivac asked of him, running himself to a standstill. 7
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