Jeremy Guscott’s verdict: Savvy England were not the one-man band Wales expected
Wales had been tagged as slow starters – and they lost this game because they lived up to that billing – whereas England were more urgent and have won a Triple Crown, and put themselves in the position of being champions-in-waiting.
First and foremost, this match was not about revenge or payback for the World Cup.
The England players – most of whom have been involved in both squads – would swap this result for the one six months ago. They would rather have had a shot at a World Cup medal than a Grand Slam, mainly because World Cups come around every four years whereas you get a chance at a Slam every season.
However, there’s no escaping the reality that this was an emphatic win by an England side that lost to Wales six months ago at Twickenham, and it shows that England under Eddie Jones are coming back to life.
We know that defences win you championships, but the next level to becoming a really formidable team is about how you develop your attack. The good news is that England know, not only from this match against the Welsh, but also during the rest of their Six Nations campaign, that if they play with a heads-up, intuitive attitude, they can score tries against the best defences.
They may have been outscored by three tries to one due to the late Welsh flurry, but Wales only looked dangerous when they had to chase the game.
For the first half-hour Warren Gatland‘s side looked content to soak up whatever England threw at them, and did not have much ambition to attack themselves. I expected Wales to win this game by using the nous and experience they have gained from winning Grand Slams and championships, and being a major part of a winning Lions tour.
I thought that would empower them to beat an England side that has consistently come second – but they only made use of their attacking prowess when they were desperate in the last ten minutes.
In the changing room afterwards, the Welsh players must have thought: “If only we’d attacked like that earlier…”
They will have to accept that, although they did come back at the end, by then the game was already lost.
By 4.30pm today, England could even be crowned Six Nations champions – and unless there’s a huge improvement by the French in Paris next Saturday, England will also become Grand Slam champions – and deservedly so.
They deserve it because of the way they attacked for most of the match. They are a savvy side now. In their own half they exit quickly, but if they get an opportunity to attack from deep they take it.
They are also not the one-man band Wales hoped they would be. Billy Vunipola wasn’t the monster in this game that he had been previously in this tournament, but they made the mistake of thinking that if they stopped him, they’d stop England.
Instead, they discovered there are very good players elsewhere in the lineup – and no-one more than Maro Itoje. The Saracens youngster is neither a lock or a blindside, but his decision-making at crucial times is very impressive.
He’s a clever, intelligent rugby player – and he’s showing all the signs of being a star of the game.
Looking ahead to Paris, the most telling use of the replacements was George Ford being taken off. It indicates to me that Jones will go with Owen Farrell at 10 and Manu Tuilagi at 12, and that George will become a finisher more than a starter.
I don’t know if it will happen against France, but in some ways if Tuilagi is fit, the sooner the better. Ford is trying to get back to his best form, but it’s not quite working, so if Farrell is picked ahead of him in Paris, no one will be surprised.
However, whoever is picked to start in Paris, the great thing is that England have one of the big prizes in sight.
