Thanks to a second-half performance, England almost outclassed Wales at Twickenham and pulled the visitors back to eventual victory.
The home team didn’t put in a great performance, but the important thing was to get the win and Ben Earl’s ball carrying was crucial for them to achieve that on Saturday.
So who shone brightest for England and who had a game to forget in south-west London? Telegraph Sport gives its verdict; Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
England
15.Freddie Steward
The talent under the high ball sometimes feels like a cheat code. He surprised Wales, his teammates and even himself with his line breaks at the beginning and end of the match. 7/10
14.Tommy Freeman
His main contribution in the first half was collecting from the wing and making a saving tackle on Josh Adams. England failed to use it as an offensive weapon. 6/10
13.Henry Slade
England’s backline was largely running on scraps and Slade was starving. It felt like a step back from how effective he was against Italy, but he made some important reads defensively. 6/10
12.Fraser Dingwall
The attempt covered a multitude of sins, from George North passing straight through him to not holding his line before passing to Daly. 5/10
11 Elliot Daly
He was always involved in England’s best attacking moments, producing a skillful if unconventional assist for Dingwall’s score. I’m still trying to adapt to Felix Jones’ defensive system. 7/10
10George Ford
His performance will be remembered for his failure to convert, which was a shame as he represented England’s defensive prowess, scoring a magnificent 50-22 and passing beautifully. 8/10
9Alex Mitchell
His box kicking was often done for money without always getting the loot, and he timed his shots much better than in the World Cup. 7/10
1Joe Marler
Earl deserves a prop for his efforts to keep the attack steady without the support of a winger behind him. Overall a busy shift with some dominant tackles. 7/10
2Jamie George
He tanked defensively and set the tone for his teammates to follow. Twickenham were very loud in the final quarter but it didn’t quite go their way. 7/10
3 Will Stuart
I’m starting to slip into the role of being a hardhead. He made a series of big hits and carries but failed Mann’s try. 6/10
4 Maro Itoje
His monstrous tackle on Lloyd, with England down to 13 men, was arguably the defining moment of the match. There’s not much to shout about. 7/10
5 Ollie Chess
He spent most of the first half off the field due to a hard yellow card and subsequently underwent his own assessment for a head injury. He came up with an offensive proposition. 6/10
6 Ethan Root
He struggled to match last week’s highs, losing the ball in touch deep in the Welsh 22 and then conceding a penalty and a yellow card for killing a knock. 5/10
7 Sam Under The Hill
He stood his ground during a 25-step defense and laid down a fitting rib tickler on Thomas. He also found a sack on a mallet. But is it too similar to Roots? 7/10
8 Ben Earl
He is relishing his role as England’s leading man. His try brought some serious big-kid energy off the back of a seven-man attack. 8/10
Replacements
Theo Dan (for George, 73) 6, Ellis Genge (for Marler, 51) 7, Dan Cole (for Stuart, 51) 7, Alex Coles (for Roots, 73) 6, Chandler Cunningham-South (for Underhill, 64) 7, Danny Care (for Mitchell, 69) Unused: Fin Smith, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso
While England started to gain superiority in attack with the introduction of Genge and Cole, Cunningham-South also made a few remarkable interventions. 6/10
Wales
15 Cameron Winnett
A solid performance. He exploited the space behind England’s back three with varying success. Good saving tackle on Daly before splitting the hosts open with a brave run. 7/10
14 Josh Adams
A much more balanced performance than last week. He spilled Lloyd’s floating strike but his sharp footwork gave Wales the opportunity to push forward for Mann’s try. 7/10
13George North
The old boy still has it. It recovered well after being out of position in the opening exchanges. The experienced center showed his best. 7/10
12 Nick Tompkins
The challenge is to include him more as a ball carrier. The disjointed midfield partnership with North exemplified Wales’ lack of clarity in attack. 5/10
11 Rio Painter
He dealt with an early cross-kick with Elliot Daly on his shoulder. He showed great intuition to get out of the blocks and thwart Ford’s conversion. 7/10
10 Credit Lloyd
He attempted to make extensive use of space but his lack of experience showed when he was ambushed five yards out by Maro Itoje, causing Earl to power through. 5/10
9Tomos Williams
He hoofed out a series of unconvincing box and clearing kicks which led to unnecessary pressure but provided a good backing line for Mann’s score. 6/10
1 Gareth Thomas
He turned in a good shift and was loosely involved in a patient phase play with some shaky carry flurry. 5/10
2 Elliot Dee
The good news is that the wrinkles in the line have been ironed out. He achieved perfect accuracy with his arrows and carried them very tightly. 6/10
3 Kieron Assiratti
He recovered well from Ollie Chessum’s high tackle but didn’t have much to shout about. I was hooked on Archie Griffin before the hour mark. 5/10
4 Dafydd Jenkins
A hard-working display from Wales’ baby-faced assassin. He brought calmness to the proceedings and embodied his side’s much improved defence. 6/10
5 Man Beard
He worked loosely hard without much to show for it, although his defensive work in the red zone highlighted Wales’ torrid situation. 5/10
6Alex Mann
A productive day at the office. He had the legs to mark his first Test start with a try after running a good backline for Tomos Williams. 7/10
7 Tommy Refell
Wales’ most important player by a mile. Good work and good clearance to clear the early wickets until Mann’s try. Wales need to keep him fit. 9/10
8 Aaron Wainwright
He is truly a Test-match animal. I had a busy afternoon bulldozing and packing up the defense. 7/10
Replacements
Grady was unable to stop Dingwall’s effort for the corner and his deliberate strike did not help Wales’ cause either. As visitor numbers dwindled, Hardy found it difficult to give his staff new impetus. 4/10