"0/10" - Five England players who flopped against Wales on Saturday

In a remarkable turnaround, fly-half George Ford emerged as the hero for England in the match against Wales at Twickenham Stadium. Despite facing a setback due to disciplinary issues that reduced their team to 12 players, England displayed resilience and fought back.

George Ford, who plays for Sale, took on a crucial role and assumed responsibility for a pivotal penalty kick that ultimately secured the victory, especially after Owen Farrell was shown a red card.

This particular game has raised more questions than answers for Borthwick, as a number of key players who are expected to play vital roles in the upcoming 2023 Rugby World Cup showcased disappointing performances.

Below, we delve into the performances of five England players who failed to meet expectations on the field.

Farrell’s overall outing at Twickenham has understandably been overshadowed in his second half sending off. The Saracen looks set to miss the opening match of England’s Rugby World Cup campaign against Argentina, if he is handed a three match ban for his shoulder-charge to the head of Taine Basham.

Evening Standard 5/10: "His tackle technique will come under renewed scrutiny after a poor red card."

Planet Rugby 3/10: "Kicked well at goal, but the elephant in the room is the skipper’s tackle technique that, again, earned him a red card and possibly a suspension putting the beginning of his Rugby World Cup at risk. A Test he would like to forget."

Telegraph 4/10: "Started well but there was a strange choice to pass back inside on one attack. Then his problematic tackle technique reared its head again, sent off after being reviewed by the TMO bunker. A ban looms."

Rugby Pass 0/10: "Farrell couldn’t help himself, his ugly shoulder contact to the head of Basham rightly upgraded to a red card after TMO bunker review of the yellow he initially received. Now faces missing England important pool opener versus Argentina. Had started well, with good variety in his game but doesn’t matter a whit now."

Replacement: George Ford or Marcus Smith

Planet Rugby 4/10: " The tighthead did not win the scrummaging battle and gave away four penalties in a performance that did not do his prospects of holding his starting role a world of good. Made all of his tackles otherwise."

Telegraph 4/10: "Maybe the most intriguing player at the moment given his push for a starting spot over more experienced rivals. Sometimes he looked great, but more importantly he also gave away three scrum penalties."

Replacement: Kyle Sinckler

Replacement: Steve Borthwick decided not to pick two number 8s, so maybe Tom Curry

Planet Rugby 5/10: "Not the kind of outing Steve Borthwick would have wanted from his only specialist number eight in the squad. He was not terrible by any means but just not as impactful as he has been in an England jersey before."

Rugby Pass 5/10: "Borthwick has staked the house on this previous surplus to requirement No8 becoming the gain line monster that Alex Dombrandt struggled to become. Said to be as fit as the coach had ever seen him, he was like a jumbo jet struggling to gather speed on the runway. Exited on 61."

Planet Rugby 5/10: "Was strong under the high ball and carried decently but made a costly misjudgement that resulted in him taking a player out in the air and conceding a penalty try."

Telegraph 4/10: "Was strong under the high ball and carried decently but made a costly misjudgement that resulted in him taking a player out in the air and conceding a penalty try."

Rugby Pass 3.5/10: "Was doing fine, having carried well with the ball to beat some defenders and having little to do in a better connected defence compared to last week. But then came his rating-killing yellow card which he will now hope won’t have a citing officer sequel. There was no need for him to tackle Adams like his did in the air and he paid a heavy price with a frustrating sin-binning and the concession of a yellow card."

Evening Standard 5/10: "Another lacklustre showing and one that will concern Borthwick."

Planet Rugby 4/10: "Not a great outing from the promising wing, who got a silly yellow card in the first half for not retreating after a mark was called. He did not make an impact in his 56 minutes, and did not put his hand up to keep the starting spot."

Telegraph 4/10: "Saw off an early bang but it was hard for him to get into the game given how little England held onto the ball either through kicking or knock-ons. And then cheaply sin-binned. Too quiet."

Rugby Pass 3/10: "Finished the opening half in the bin for cynically preventing Liam Williams from playing quickly off a mark. That incident came a few minutes after he delayed his chase to a clearance kick, a clear sign that Test level requirements are taking much getting used to. Hooked on 57 minutes."

Replacement: Max Malins