**
Wales snatch victory in Cardiff
 |
| James Hook of Wales kicks a penalty during the rugby union international friendly match between Wales and England at the Millennium Stadium on August 13, 2011 in Cardiff, Wales. ( August 12, 2011 - Photos by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Europe) ** |
Wales took revenge for last week's loss to England with a 19-9 victory at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
It was less a case of Wales winning than England losing as the visitors failed to capitalise on their complete dominance in terms of both territory and possession.
Was this one step forward, two steps back? Martin Johnson will be wondering just how his team managed to lose a game they totally controlled for an hour.
*
Wales full-back James Hook scored the only try of the encounter but it was the home side's defence that will have Warren Gatland smiling more than anything else.
Three Toby Flood penalties underpinned a bash-and-smash England display that saw them waste numerous attacking opportunities, exposing their chronic lack of flair and imagination.
*
Both sides will be concerned with the pedestrian pace with which the ball was being recycled at the breakdown.
Much of England's problems lay with a backline that failed to make the most of the swathes of possession that came their way, with the centre pairing of Mike Tindall and Shontayne Hape proving particularly ineffectual.
Wales started well but would have been happy with the 6-all scoreline at half-time having soaked up huge pressure. Indeed the Welsh defensive display was the highlight of the first 40 minutes.
*
The second half started in the worst possible fashion for the hosts as Jamie Roberts saw yellow (as a result of his team's numerous indiscretions at the breakdown).
Flood put England ahead for the first time at 9-6 but those would be the only points scored in Roberts' absence.
It took Wales almost an hour to put a decent period of possession together, but they made their first real opportunity to attack count when Hook jinked into a gap and stretched out an arm to score. Even with the little possession they enjoyed, the home side looked the more dangerous team on attack in the last half-hour.
*
The hosts had finally found their feet and Hook extended the lead to seven points from long range (after another poor display at the breakdown by England).
England continued to bang away with their one-dimensional approach but without success against fourteen men as Mike Phillips was also sent to the sin bin. Hook rubbed salt into the wounds with one more three-pointer late on.
*
Man of the match: Wales were thrashed up front but the men in Red must be given credit for their tireless tackling, especially Sam Warburton. But you need points to win a game, so we'll go for James Hook for his contribution to the scoreboard.
**
Mike Phillips of Wales passes the ball out from a ruck
*
Wales 19 England 9: match report
By Paul Ackford
A belter of a Test match. Fast, furious and a real kick in the pants for England. But let’s not talk about that load of rubbish because the Welsh effort was quite remarkable.
Wales will never, ever concede as much territory and possession as they did in an appalling first half for them and win a Test match. But what the heck. They did, through a combination of gritty, organised defence and an attacking display from England which moved from the inept to the laughable. You could see how much the victory meant to Wales. All of a sudden they are contenders again. They’ve got their self-respect back.
*
The statistics at the end of the first 40 minutes showed that England had gobbled up 65 per cent of possession and 75 per cent of territory yet what did the scoreboard show? A match tied at six apiece as Wales made tackle after tackle and England coughed up ball after ball.
There was another dispiriting stat at the end of the match for the England camp too. In a second period during which England played against 14 men for 20 minutes, Wales having had Jamie Roberts and Mike Phillips dispatched to the sin bin, the men in white managed three points while James Hook racked up 13 on his own. Honestly, if England were still playing now you wouldn’t bet on them scoring a try.
*
There was also - worryingly - some arrogance from England. At 6-6 Toby Flood turned down an eminently kickable penalty for a line-out in the corner. England’s generosity was inexcusable given the state of the match and it is calls like those that indicate that England are as flaky in terms of their decision-making as they are in execution.
*
With Ireland in Dublin to come in a fortnight, there is every possibility that England will hop on the plane to New Zealand on the back of two defeats. That game against the Irish is now starting to assume the same importance as that abortive Grand Slam decider.
Read the whole thing here:
****
