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England Player Ratings
Ellis Genge - Scrummaging masterclass and enjoyed getting in the head of Wales’ crumbling props 8
Luke Cowan-Dickie - One of the best try saving tackles on Blair Murray the competition has seen which made up for his early shaky lineout darts 7
Will Stuart - England’s most improved player just keeps getting better. A wicked step for a try on his 50th cap. Now nailed down the starting No.3 jersey 8
Maro Itoje © - His early try proved the ideal platform for England to push on and he made telling interventions around the park. Penalties are beginning to creep back into his game though which he’ll be keen to address 7
Ollie Chessum - Ferocious start making lineout steals, huge hits and maul turnovers. Will be devastated to have gone off injured 8
Tom Curry - Not often he gets overshadowed by his twin brother as this wasn’t trademark Tom but nonetheless still played a pivotal role 6.5
Ben Curry - His best performance in an England shirt to date. Textbook jackaling on his own try line and showcased his underrated physicality wth some monstrous shots 9
Ben Earl - Made more tackles than any England player (13) and looked a threat in his first proper showing in the centres 7.5
Alex Mitchell - Was in the right place at the right time for his try but it was his big boot which stood out and illustrated the nine’s all-court game 8
Fin Smith - Flourished in yet another hostile environment with ambitious but precise kicks to the corner off penalties and a wonderful pass for Roebuck’s try. Pretty handy from the tee as well 8
Tom Roebuck - The Welsh defence couldn’t live with the power of the Sale Sharks wing, taking his try brilliantly and then proving a safe pair of hands in the air. Quite the dilemma now for Borthwick when he has all of his wings available 7.5
Fraser Dingwall - Raced back well to deny Blair Murray a try and made an impressive 11 tackles. Didn’t set the world alight though and will be disappointed he hasn’t looked the answer to England’s 12 conundrum 5.5
Tommy Freeman - History maker! Took his try brilliantly and his symbiotic partnership with Fin Smith is a joy to watch 7.5
Elliot Daly - Enjoying quite the England renaissance. While he wasn’t able to strut his stuff in attack, his defensive sweeping is an underrated part of his game and he continues to defy his critics 7
Marcus Smith - The jury remains out on Marcus at full-back as he seems to lack the involvements to open up his box of tricks. However, he looked more solid under the high ball but will be disappointed with some of his kicks from hand 6
Replacements:
Jamie George - Solid impact 6
Fin Baxter - Maintained dominance 6
Joe Heyes - Try scorer and put in big hits 7.5
Chandler Cunningham-South - Relishes the physicality of these contests and loves a cheeky try celebration 9
Henry Pollock - Not sure he could have dreamt of a better debut than that, scoring two tries with his family going mental in the stands. A remarkable rise from U20s to test stardom 9
Tom Willis - Neat offload set up Heyes try and is proving such a handful to bring down 7.5
Jack van Poortvliet - Continued Mitchell’s intensity with crisp passing 7.5
George Ford - ‘You never lose it’. His pass to put in Pollock was sumptuous and was classic Ford 8