England reach Autumn Nations Cup final by beating Wales

England beat Wales 24-13 at Parc y Scarlets to top Group A and reach the Autumn Nations Cup final.

It was not the one-way traffic many expected this match in Llanelli to be given the relative form of the two sides, but in the end Eddie Jones’s team were comfortable victors – even if Wales took an early lead.

Johnny Williams scored the first try against the run of play in the tenth minute. Henry Slade looked to kick downfield but the ball ricocheted off Dan Biggar’s hand, the Wales fly-half kicked ahead and Williams chased hard to touch down the ball first.

It was reviewed by the TMO to determine whether it was a knock-on by Biggar but because it was a kick from Slade it was considered a chargedown. You can watch the try here…

England hit back a few minutes later.

After an initial burst by Man of the Match Sam Underhill, the ball was recycled, spread wide and Slade went over…

England dominated possession and territory in the opening period – Wales made twice as many tackles (73) to England (36) –  and it was the hosts’ penalty count that proved costly.

They conceded three times as many penalties as England – six to two – in the first 40 and Owen Farrell slotted two of them to give the visitors an 11-7 half-time lead.

Mako Vunipola extended that advantage with only his second Test try – and first since 2014 – in the 50th minute.

England put pressure on Wales from a five-metre scrum with a series of pick-and-goes, and their patience paid off when Vunipola pirouetted out of a tackle to get over the line.

England’s ill-discipline allowed Wales to get back into the game, two offside penalties slotted by Biggar to make it 13-18 after an hour.

Momentum swung back towards England in the final 20, though, as Farrell kicked another two penalties – and reached a points milestone.

England will now play in the Autumn Nations Cup final against France next Sunday, 6 December – and there will be 2,000 fans in attendance at Twickenham given the change in Government rules from next week.

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