Late Daly try gives England dramatic victory over Wales

CARDIFF (Reuters) – Elliot Daly’s try four minutes from time gave champions England a 21-16 victory over Wales in a pulsating Six Nations clash played at relentless speed amid an amazing atmosphere at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Saturday.

England’s 15-match winning streak and hopes of a repeat grand slam looked over as it trailed late into a game which an inspired Wales dominated, but an errant clearance by Jonathan Davies allowed England to counter and Daly scuttled over in the corner.

It now tops the Six Nations standings after two wins and with home games to come against Italy and Scotland before a last-day trip to Ireland, a second successive grand slam looks entirely achievable.

“We used all our get-out-of-jail cards there,” said England coach Eddie Jones, who was sacked as Australia coach last time he brought a team to Cardiff when the Wallabies lost in 2005.

“But we showed plenty of character and we always thought if we got possession we could get back into the game.”

It was match played at a level of pace and energy rarely seen in the Six Nations, and both sides managed to maintain it for almost the entire game.

After an early penalty apiece England claimed the first try when, after a move of 26 phases with lightning recycling, they went wide and stretched Wales enough for scrumhalf Ben Youngs to burrow over after 18 minutes.

Wales duly switched to attack mode and was in control for the rest of the half, though it could and should have turned round with more than its 13-8 lead after captain Alun Wyn Jones turned down two kickable penalties and lost possession on both occasions.

Wales’s impressive scrum did finally open the way just before halftime though, shoving England backwards and making space for winger Liam Williams to run a great line for a try that Leigh Halfpenny converted.

There was no let-up in the second half with the ball fizzing around like a sevens game and Wales still making the more incisive breaks.

Jones reacted by throwing on some of his key finishers earlier than normal, with Jamie George and James Haskell sent into the fray after 48 minutes.

Wales coach Rob Howley matched him, sending on a fresh front row and replacement number eight Taulupe Faletau to reunite the all-Welsh British and Irish Lions back row.

Another penalty apiece made it 16-11 to Wales going into the final quarter and a 70-metre Dan Bigger interception run from his own line lifted the home crowd to new levels of delirium.

England, buoyed as last week by the energy of Haskell and fellow replacements Ben Te’o and Danny Care, came again but brilliant Welsh defense forced a turnover on its line.

The home fans rose to acclaim what they felt could be the match-winning moment but the roar stuck in their throats as Davies failed to find touch with his clearance and his shattered teammates were unable to muster any sort of chase.

England did not need a second invitation, tearing forward into the space to send Daly over in the corner before Farrell showed his usual ice-cool nerve to convert and keep the double grand slam dream alive.

Meanwhile, Ireland recorded its biggest ever Six Nations victory as it smashed Italy 63-10 in Rome on Saturday, running in nine tries and earning the tournament’s first attacking bonus point.

The 2015 champions rebounded from a narrow loss against Scotland last week in Murrayfield and earned its four-try bonus point in barely 30 minutes, with flanker and man-of-the-match CJ Stander scoring the second of his three tries.

Substitute winger Craig Gilroy also bagged a hattrick late in the second half as Italy, the tournament’s perennial wooden-spooners, found that the new bonus-point system had sharpened its opponents’ desire to put it to the sword.

“We didn’t release the pressure valve,” Ireland coach Joe Schmidt said, describing the game as an encouraging performance ahead of Ireland’s next match against France in Dublin.

Flyhalf Paddy Jackson, playing for injured playmaker Johnny Sexton, was immaculate off the kicking tee, converting all nine tries, though one of them was a mishit which his coach described as “a wounded duck” flying over the crossbar.

Ireland also avoided major injuries, though fullback Rob Kearney came off late in the game with a bruised bicep and center Robbie Henshaw suffered a corked thigh.

Ireland never looked like taking a penalty kick, opting for attacking scrums and lineouts from the first whistle to the last. Its forwards dominated possession, stringing together phases until Italy’s defense tired and gaps beckoned.

Stander charged over for his first try after 20 phases.

Irish winger Keith Earls ran in two tries and Garry Ringrose one in a day to forget for Italy’s Irish coach, Conor O’Shea, whose team has thudded back to earth after their first win over former world champions South Africa in the autumn.

“It was an incredibly hard day,” O’Shea said, adding that Ireland was “100 percent better” than the Welsh team that beat the Azzurri 33-7 in Rome last weekend in the first round.

Italy was awarded a penalty try in the first half, but otherwise rarely threatened the Irish line. Its few promising raids in the second half ended in turnovers.

Ireland next plays France in Dublin after two away games.