An anxious wait they may face to find out if they are Six Nations champions but England simply could not have done any more. In the week we wondered how Steve Borthwick’s side would handle the pressure of a Cardiff cauldron, whether they were capable of seizing the moment with a title potentially in reach.
Those questions were answered most definitively by one of England’s best performances in years. The champagne may be on ice, nails to be nibbled as they wait and see if Scotland can do them a favour in Paris, but one cannot accuse Steve Borthwick’s side of failing to grasp their opportunity in a 10-try thrashing.
There was no need for a gnawing of fingers during the 80 minutes; no reason, really, for the heart rate to spike. An England side that has been content to trade punches with outmatched opposition much too often finally found the dominant, domineering performance that a nation of such resources should be producing far more often. This felt like a high watermark for the Steve Borthwick era, however close England came to stunning South Africa in a semi-final slugfest.
Wales, meanwhile, fall further into the pit of despair, a 17th defeat in succession all the more demoralising given the identity of the opposition. Having watched his side be played off their own patch so decisively, Matt Sherratt may be glad to be to be returning to the comforting cocoon of his Cardiff club. His interim stint is not overly diminished by one very, very bad day – but Warren Gatland’s permanent successor, whenever they arrive, has quite the job on their hands.
The equation for England had been made simpler by events in Rome, where a scratchy, sloppy Ireland had failed to produce the right mathematics to boost their points difference above that of Borthwick’s side. That meant a win of any kind enough for England to usurp the temporary table toppers.
Cardiff had been busy and buoyant from early on the city’s favourite sporting day, the home fans singing their hopeful hymns and arias, wishing for the Welsh woe to end. 16 consecutive defeats suggested little reason for confidence but there was a strange sense that this could be one of those days: Scott Gibbs at Wembley in 1999, Gavin Henson shaving away in 2005. How wrong they were.
The perfect purr of the late, great Eddie Butler provided further optimistic overtones ahead of kick off, but it took only a matter of minutes for home hopes to be punctured. Maro Itoje revealed during the week that he fills the time during the opposition’s anthem visualising how the opening minutes will play out; if not spellbound by a stunning rendition of “Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau”, the England captain surely would have been manifesting precisely this start.
After a penalty granted England easy entry into the Welsh 22, a nifty maul manoeuvre created room on the fringes. There was a suspicion of a knock on as the ball popped up to Itoje, but the officials saw no reason to disallow the score once the visiting skipper had biffed through inside three minutes.
So much for a Cardiff cacophony; England had quietened the crowd. The home fans thought they had reason to cheer five minutes later but Blair Murray’s try was called back for an offside. Instead, the prevailing refrain was that of sweet chariots as Tom Roebuck, impressive on his first international start, carried a defender home after a wide pass from Fin Smith.
So far, so good for England, though disaster soon threatened to strike. Ollie Chessum had been ticking, steam rising from a reddening face past his scarlet curls as he relished the niggle and needle. But the lock did himself a mischief having launched into a howitzer tackle on Ben Thomas – with Borthwick eschewing specialist lock cover on a bold bench, Chandler Cunningham-South would have to go 60 minutes in an engine room with which he is not wholly familiar.
Chessum’s departure gave Wales a brief lift. Murray appeared set to scamper home for an opportunistic score only to be somehow reeled in by a remarkable tap tackle from Luke Cowan-Dickie, a sliver of ankle just enough to send the full-back tumbling to the floor. It felt a fitting image for a game where Wales could not find their footing.
Thomas sauntered under the sticks after a strong lineout drive to at least get the hosts on the board, but it wasn’t long before England kicked out of sight. Freeman’s history-making moment came on 35 minutes, the wing-cum-centre capitalising on sharp work from club colleagues Smith and Fraser Dingwall, along with another bright and burly rumble from Roebuck, to complete the set, becoming the first Englishman to register in all five games in a single Six Nations campaign. When Cunningham-South bashed over mere moments later, the bonus point was in the bag.
Everything was coming up red rose; the daffodil petals were wilting. Ellis Genge’s header inadvertently set Dingwall scuttling free, allowing Will Stuart to mark his 50th cap and a fine tournament with a neatly-taken try. Five first-half tries and a 26-point advantage would have felt inconceivable before kick off, despite the pair’s respective Six Nations states.
Wales had roared back from a similar half-time deficit against Scotland seven days previously but one felt that the title chasers would keep their focus rather more than Gregor Townsend’s clan. With Ben Earl and the Curry twins scavenging like hyenas – each turnover and tackle seeming to bring an excited cackle – Wales simply could not find their flow. An early second half chance came and went as Max Llewellyn and Aaron Wainwright contrived to fumble Ellis Mee’s ambitious offload.
England were forced into another contingency plan, Earl relocated to the centres after injury to Freeman and Henry Pollock on for a debut in the back row. The circumstances could not have been better to explore the strategy given the control of the contest. Daly followed Genge’s lead with a headed assist as Alex Mitchell picked up the loose ball to score. Pollock made it a magnificent seven tries; replacement tighthead Joe Heyes brought up the 50 with a look of disbelief. He wasn’t alone.
A consolation from Thomas was repiled to instantly as the hugely exciting Pollock snared a second, and England were still on cloud nine even as Cunningham-South made it 10 tries. The Principality Stadium will be kept ready for a possible English triumph, the players returning from their hotel to tote the trophy on their way if France fall short. Regardless of the result in Paris, England have something to celebrate having signed off in such style.
