Wonderful Williams rescues Wales' Grand-Slam dreams

For all the pre-match hype surrounding Wales in this showdown, it was England who almost stole the show, and taking with it Wales' Grand-Slam hopes. Wales, at times, looked nervous, and often couldn't break down a solid England midfield, led superbly by my man of the match Brad Barritt. England on the other hand, were on top for large periods of the game, and had they had the killer instinct of old, then maybe they would be leaving Twickenham with the victory, sending the Welsh back across the Severn with their tails between their legs.  Scott Williams leaves Twickenham with the plaudits though, after his stunning 50-yard chip through and collect led to the only try of the game being scored, and crucially, gave Wales the lead for the first time, which they never surrendered.  Strettle's over the line dart at the end might have rescued a share of the spoils, depending on what colour shirt you were wearing you would call it either way. Multiple replays seem to suggest that the ball did not quite touch the ground, but it was a gallant last-gasp attempt by an England team hungry for a victory over their neighbours. However, this speculation will not change the final scoreline of a 19-12 victory to Wales, and their first Triple-Crown on English soil. Time for my review of the game, using the same system as before: positives (+), negatives (-), and uncertainties (?):

Positives: 

+ Though Wales never really got into top gear with the ball in hand, they were patient when it mattered. Mike Phillips, who again was well contained by England, still managed to move the ball well, though often it was through the forwards, rather than the expansive back play that Wales have freely shown so far. Regardless, it worked, and they went through the phases expertly, tiring England's resistance.

+ It was a physical game, with emphasis again being thrown onto the forwards of both teams. Wales rose to England's test, and out-muscled them convincingly. Their scrummaging was spot-on, Adam Jones and Gethin Jenkins leading the line well as they normally do. Though I thought England's Dan Cole and Alex Corbisiero, who I am a big fan of, would be a tough test for them, they rose above, yet again staking their claim as the best Prop pairing in the world.

+ Sam Warburton was Wales' stand out performer. His tackle to stop Manu Tuilagi crossing the line was something special, his power and determination to get to the ruck first was second to none, and the fact that he kept this up for the full 80 minutes is a credit to his fitness, especially after being ruled out against Scotland with a dead leg.

Negatives:

- Wales just did not get going! I was screaming at my television for the whole second half for Wales to break out of their 22 and get hands on the ball, but for whatever reason, they just looked overawed by the occasion. Credit must be given to England for throwing Wales off their game completely, something no team has been able to do since last year's 6 Nations tournament. But even I expected Wales to somehow pull an expansive, flowing play out of the bag, but it never materialised. They will have to improve that if they want to remain a top-level international team.

- I hate to moan about referees, I always feel they should be given the benefit of the doubt as their job is mightily tough. However, how an offside tackle can result in a yellow card yet an illegal pull down from a line-out is only a penalty is beyond me. Yes, Wales had been warned about going offside, and the tackle stopped a potential try-scoring opportunity, so Priestland's yellow was justified. But a dangerous play like Robshaw's on Warburton in the line-out surely deserves a yellow? Another reason that IRB needs to clarify tackling laws.

Uncertainties:

? This is more of a general poser, but can Wales actually win the Grand-Slam,  now that they have secured the Triple-Crown? They have stuttered by over England, and France is another stern test to come. Not only that, but we have to get past a stubborn Italian side as well. Though another win will boost the confidence further, we really need to step it up against Italy so that hopefully we can be in the right vein of form to face France on March 17th. 

Overall, a thoroughly unconvincing performance by Wales. However, it has proven that we can grind out a result, and win ugly if we have to. The question is though, does that highlight any frailties that we might have, or does it serve as a warning to the Italy and France that we don't have to be at our best to win? We shall see in two weeks, when we take on the Italy in the Millennium Stadium, and then a week later when we entertain France in what could be the title-decider, again in Cardiff. Lets hope that Roberts' injury is not too serious, and that we can have a fully-fit squad to choose from for these games, because we are going to need it. The Dragon is still roaring, just.

Final Score: Wales 19 - Tries: S Williams. Convs: Halfpenny. Pens: Halfpenny (4)
                England 12 - Pens: Farrell (4)

Dewch ar Cymru!