English streak nearly scuppered by Wales
England have denied Wales a thrilling upset in the Six Nations by scoring a try four minutes from time to snatch a 21-16 victory in Cardiff.
England’s 15-match winning streak and hopes of a repeat grand slam looked over as they trailed late in the game, but an errant Jonathan Davies clearance allowed a counter-attack with Elliot Daly scuttling over in the corner for the match-winner.
‘‘We used all our get-out-of-jail cards there,’’ England coach Eddie Jones said afterwards, adding, ‘‘but we showed plenty of character and we always thought if we got possession we could get back into the game.’’
The win for England yesterday extended their winning streak against top tier test rugby nations to 16, just two short of the world record of 18 set by the All Blacks in 2016.
England claimed the first try, but Wales took a 13-8 lead into halftime and the pace barely let up in the second stanza.
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 No 8 Taulupe Faletau.
Another penalty apiece made it 16-11 to Wales going into the final quarter and a 70-metre Dan Biggar interception run from his own line lifted the home crowd to new levels of delirium.
England came again but brilliant Welsh defence forced a turnover on their line.
The home fans rose to acclaim what they felt could be the matchwinning moment but the roar stuck in their throats as Davies failed to find touch with his clearance and his shattered team-mates were unable to muster any sort of chase.
England did not need a second invitation, tearing forward 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.
‘‘It was a 75-minute performance from us. I think that was the difference in the end,’’ Wales captain Jones said. ‘‘Ultimately we didn’t maintain that intensity for the whole of the second half.’’
England next play Italy who were hammered 63-10 by Ireland yesterday, the Irish recording the competition’s first attacking bonus point in the nine-try romp.
The 2015 champions rebounded from a narrow loss against Scotland last week and earned their four-try bonus point in barely 30 minutes when man-ofthe-match flanker CJ Stander scored the second of his three tries.
Ireland never looked like taking a penalty kick, opting for attacking scrums and lineouts from the first whistle to the last. Their forwards dominated possession, stringing together phases until Italy’s defence tired and gaps beckoned.