England-Wales player ratings

By Bryn Palmer
BBC Sport at Twickenham

Wales Ratings

ENGLAND:

Josh Lewsey - 6:
One strong run in the opening minute but forced off with injured shoulder after 20 minutes.

Mark Cueto - 7:
Showed his finisher's instinct with great angled run for opening try. Constant threat with ball in hand.

Jamie Noon - 7:
Great break to put Cueto away for try and a tidy display throughout, justifying his selection.

Mike Tindall - 6:
Passing not always on beam but looked more like his old self with several charges, capped off with try.

Ben Cohen - 7:
Reluctant to take on opponent one-on-one, but superb defensive work, denying Shane Williams a try.

Charlie Hodgson - 8:
Warm applause when taken off showed crowd on his side after assured display, despite three missed kicks.

Harry Ellis - 6:
Decision-making not always the best but made one good break in first half and served Hodgson well.

Andrew Sheridan - 7:
Few charges around the fringes and kept the pressure on Welsh scrum until departed late on.

Steve Thompson - 7:
Not seen too much in loose but found his targets at the line-out and showed power in tight exchanges.

Matt Stevens - 8:
Man-of-the-match award illustrated his arrival at this level. Strong in the scrum, put himself about in loose.

Steve Borthwick - 7:
Stole Wales' first line-out and a constant thorn in their side; always in the thick of the forward battle.

Danny Grewcock - 8:
Assured source of line-out possession and thundered around to good effect before departing late on.

Joe Worsley - 6:
Put in his share of tackles to stop Welsh attacks, but not involved as much as would have liked.

Lewis Moody - 7:
Showed few signs of rustiness, got himself on end of line-out drive for try and kept his composure well.

Martin Corry - 6:
Bold decision-making paid off with kicks to touch rather than goal. Solid effort before being replaced.

REPLACEMENTS:

Lawrence Dallaglio - 7:
Early chance to stretch his legs and capped his comeback by bulldozing through Jones for popular try.

Tom Voyce - 7:
Replaced Lewsey and looked at home at full-back, capping incisive display with last-minute try.

Lee Mears - 6:
Replaced Thompson for the final quarter. Tidy work at the set-pieces.

Julian White - 6:
Replaced Sheridan late on, turning the screw on Wales at the scrum.

Simon Shaw - 6:
Came on for Grewcock for last eight minutes, but little chance to shine.

Matt Dawson - 7:
Only on for a minute when he scored England's fifth try, after a knock-on.

Andy Goode - 6:
Converted Dawson's try with his first touch, then created and converted Voyce's.

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WALES:

Gareth Thomas - 6:
Tried to inspire his side with invention from deep and assured defence, but not the captain's day.

Mark Jones - 6:
Almost scored with first touch after sprint down wing and pace still intact, but conceded two penalties.

Hal Luscombe - 6:
Try-saving tackle on Cueto in second half typified defensive effort but not so visible in attack.

Matthew Watkins - 6:
Defence exposed by Noon for first try but continued to run hard at English defence without reward.

Shane Williams - 6:
Always probing and looking for gaps but ran up too many blind alleys, and kicking was aimless.

Stephen Jones - 5:
Tried to keep his backs moving but couldn't find the necessary control, and saw Dallaglio charge over him.

Dwayne Peel - 8:
Classy and composed throughout. Quick thinking and pace created one try and might have led to more.

Duncan Jones - 6:
Out-gunned eventually but kept going manfully, still putting himself about as floodgates opened.

Rhys Thomas - 5:
Struggled to find his targets as England disrupted the Welsh line-out. Harsh lesson but will learn from it.

Adam Jones - 6:
Held his end up reasonably well in the scrum against Sheridan, before being replaced for last quarter.

Ian Gough - 5:
Grewcock and Borthwick overshadowed him at the set-pieces, and looked shattered when he departed.

Rob Sidoli - 6:
Try-saving tackle on Hodgson late on typified his effort, but out-gunned by his English counterparts.

Colin Charvis - 6:
Struggled to stem the English tide and never able to exert any influence. Replaced in final quarter.

Martyn Williams - 6:
Great support play to claim a try in first half. Harsh yellow card for impeding Moody was start of decline.

Michael Owen - 6:
Showed deft touches and linked well with Peel at base of scrum but overpowered late on with rest.

REPLACEMENTS:

Lee Byrne - 6:
Blood-bin replacement for Watkins early on; a 10-minute cameo.

Gethin Jenkins - 5:
Replaced Adam Jones for last quarter, but disappointingly little impact.

Gareth Cooper - 6:
Replaced Peel late on, but suffered shoulder injury that could keep him on sidelines.

Adam Jones - 6:
Several appearances as blood replacement and came on for last 15 minutes for Gough. One good charge.

Alix Popham - 5:
On for the last eight minutes, but too late to make any impact.

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