CARDIFF – England coach Steve Borthwick praised his side for their tactical nous and ability to take control of the last quarter of a tight Six Nations 20-10 victory over Wales on Saturday.
“The players showed great resilience, great spirit,” said Borthwick. “They changed things tactically in the game.
“It was an incredible Test match. There wasn’t much in it really.
He added: “This is a tough time for rugby in so many different ways right now and what those Welsh players have been through in the last couple of weeks, to produce a performance like that, they deserve incredible respect for it.”
Skipper Owen Farrell had an uncharacteristically off day with the boot, missing three kicks that would realistically have given England some much-needed breathing space earlier after a try by Anthony Watson.
As it was, a Louis Rees-Zammit interception try just minutes into the second half handed Wales an unexpected lead.
England, who began their Six Nations campaign with a 29-23 defeat by Scotland before rebounding to beat Italy 31-14, responded almost immediately through Kyle Sinckler, before Ollie Lawrence crossed for a third try to wrap things up late on.
“It was a good Test for us and we took control in that last 20 I thought,” said Farrell.
“We’re right at the start. We’ve got another big team (world No. 2 France) coming next time back at Twickenham and we’ve got a lot of work to do.
“There’s bits starting to show but we’re laying some foundations at the minute. We want to keep building on it all.”
Wales coach Warren Gatland refused to blame his team’s chaotic week for the defeat, as his side again failed to turn sustained possession into scoring opportunities.
Gatland’s preparation for the game was derailed by a potential strike by players over their dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) which meant he had to cancel training sessions and delay naming his team.
“The week was challenging but we’re not making any excuses,” Gatland said.
“I think we can be critical of ourselves in terms of creating a lot of problems for ourselves by not being accurate in key moments. That’s what Test rugby is about.
“You’re in that arm wrestle. We’ve spoken about being hard on ourselves. I was pleased with some improvements.”
Captain Ken Owens, who looked physically exhausted during the week as the negotiations with the WRU took precedence over match preparation, said: “The last two weeks have taken their toll for a number of different reasons, but we can’t use that as an excuse.
“We spoke about the emotion of the last two weeks. We gave a massive effort for 80 minutes, we were right in the game throughout, but we left a couple of opportunities out there.” AFP, REUTERS
