Courtney Lawes and Jonny May rejoin England squad after Wales win

Rugby News
Sunday, 11 February 2024 at 22:17
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In another nail-biting Six Nations showdown, England once again showcased their resilience, battling back from a halftime deficit to clinch a hard-fought victory against a determined Wales side at Twickenham.
Following a familiar script from their previous match in Rome, England found themselves trailing at halftime as Wales capitalized with a penalty try and an Alex Mann score, threatening to upset the home team for the first time since 2015.
However, England rallied in the second half, with Fraser Dingwall's try narrowing the deficit to just a point before George Ford's decisive penalty secured the win.
With this victory, England surges to the top of the Six Nations standings, maintaining their perfect record in the tournament thus far. Meanwhile, Wales, despite suffering two consecutive defeats, managed to salvage a losing bonus point and hold onto fifth place.
Adding to the post-match jubilation, the England squad welcomed two familiar faces back into the fold, as retired internationals Courtney Lawes and Jonny May joined in the celebrations in the dressing room.
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Credit: England Rugby

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“Hero to zero” – 5 England players who underperformed against Wales

Looking ahead to the next match against Scotland at Murrayfield in two weeks, we identify four players who may need to step out of the starting team.
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#1. Ethan Roots

Evening Standard 6/10: "Showed his inexperience at the level for his yellow card, but recovered as the game progressed."
Telegraph 5/10: "Struggled to match the heights of last week, losing the ball in contact deep inside the Welsh 22 before conceding a penalty and yellow card for killing a maul."
Planet Rugby 4/10: "A great debut last week but not so good this time around. The yellow card was needless as all he had to do was hold them up as he had got onto the ball."
RUCK 6/10: "Collapsed the maul as Wales trundle towards the goal-line. Awarded a yellow card as Wales get a penalty try. Provided a new role as a line out jumper at the back. Spilt the ball after 47 minute re-start. Didnt have the best game to build on his MOTM performance v Italy, but put in strong hits around the pitch. Off for Alex Coles (72)"

#2. Fraser Dingwall

RUCK 6/10: "Didn't get back onside following the Welsh restart and gave away a penalty. Out of position at 27 minutes, lucky that George North opted to kick with a big gap ahead of him. Flattened by George North, as he missed the tackle at 33 minutes."
Telegraph 5/10: "The try covered a multitude of sins - from George North running straight through him, to not holding his line before passing to Daly."
Planet Rugby 6/10: "Not a huge carrying threat but a smart operator. Took his try well and is a good distributor on the gain line, although he needs to show more in the rest of the Six Nations."

#3. Tommy Freeman

Planet Rugby 5/10: "Much quieter than last weekend. Didn’t really get the opportunity to run but he was a useful chasing option."
Rugby Pass 6/10: "Unable to follow up his livewire Stadio Olimpico effort with another eye-catching display. Still had some good moments, namely his scramble defence."
Guardian 5/10: "A try-saving tackle on Josh Adams was a highlight but denied chances to repeat the attacking threat shown in Rome."

#4. Joe Marler

Rugby Pass 6/10: "Didn’t shirk his tackle load with England under the first-half pump and had a lively second-half start before exiting on 52 minutes."
Rugby Dump 5/10: "Hauled off in the 50th minute after struggling to impose his mountable size over the young welsh pack."
Planet Rugby 5/10: "The scrum was not really a factor while he was on the field thanks to some smart (possibly underhand) tactics from the Welsh."
RUCK 6/10: "Given a talking to by the ref at 14 minutes, as he and the Wales tight-head jostled at multiple scrum re-sets. Gave away a scrum penalty for not pushing straight at 15, but regathered his composure as the scrum battle progressed."

5. Will Stuart

Rugby Pass 5/10: "Penalised for the scrum penalty when England went with just seven players at a set-piece in the lead-up to the first Welsh try. He then contributed to the hole that the visitors burst through for their second try by going too low and not preventing the Tommy Reffell offload. Another subbed off 12 minutes into the second half."

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