England 25
Wales 28
Murray Kinsella reports from Twickenham
IT LIVED UP to the billing. It surpassed it. Wales and England provided us with a genuine World Cup classic in Twickenham.
It’s a victory that will live forever in the history of Welsh rugby, a miraculous effort. While England crumbled under the intense pressure of the final quarter, Warren Gatland’s men thrived.
The try that will be the symbol of this victory was a joy.
Lloyd Williams, a scrum-half playing on the wing due to the barely believable injuries to the Welsh backline played the sort of through ball we see more often on the football field. Gareth Davies, the starting scrum-half, scooped the ball while moving at pace and somehow dotted down.
Dan Biggar, only kicking because Leigh Halfpenny had been ruled out of this tournament, was flawless off the tee. A masterclass in composure and mental strength.
His 49-metre penalty in the dying minutes sealed the victory.
England’s scrum was dominant, they won a high portion of the utterly brutal collisions, but they did not have the backbone to handle the remarkable Welsh second half. Their discipline was nightmarish.
Despite their set-piece failure in the first half and the volume of the home crowd, Sam Warburton and his warriors did the unthinkable.
Warburton himself was a leader extraordinaire, constantly keeping Jerome Garces on his toes. Opposite him, questions will be asked of how Chris Robshaw managed his side in the second 40 minutes.
England were 10 points to the good at one point. The belief to carry it home from there simply did not exist. The decision not to go for goal in the dying minutes will be discussed for days to come, perhaps even weeks and months.
This encounter was as titanic as had been hoped for, the latest thriller in a World Cup that has been full of them. Wales will be hugely buoyed going forward, but injuries to Scott Williams, Liam Williams and Hallam Amos looked serious.
For now, even the wounded will bask in the delight of a stunning win.
England scorers:
Tries: Jonny May
Conversions: Owen Farrell (1 from 1)
Penalties: Owen Farrell (5 from 5)
Drop goal: Owen Farrell
Wales scorers:
Tries: Gareth Davies
Conversions: Dan Biggar (1 from 1)
Penalties: Dan Biggar (7 from 7)
ENGLAND: Mike Brown; Anthony Watson, Brad Barritt, Sam Burgess, Jonny May; Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs; Joe Marler, Tom Youngs, Dan Cole; Geoff Parling, Courtney Lawes; Tom Wood, Chris Robshaw (capt.), Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: Rob Webber, Mako Vunipola, Kieran Brookes, Joe Launchbury, James Haskell, Richard Wigglesworth, George Ford, Alex Goode.
WALES: Liam Williams; George North, Scott Williams, Jamie Roberts, Hallam Amos; Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies; Gethin Jenkins, Scott Baldwin, Tomas Francis; Bradley Davies, Alun Wyn Jones; Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton (capt.), Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements: Ken Owens, Aaron Jarvis, Samson Lee, Luke Charteris, Justin Tipuric, Lloyd Williams, Rhys Priestland, Alex Cuthbert.
