England send significant message to Six Nations rivals as Wales battered in opening match
England produced an electrifying display under the lights at Twickenham as they ran out 48-7 winners against Wales in their opening match.
Steve Borthwick’s side entered the fixture hoping to emulate France and Italy, who overcame Ireland and Scotland respectively.
And England did exactly that, producing a remarkable display of rugby that will send a strong message to their rivals.
The rout started almost immediately, with Borthwick’s men fuelled with confidence following victories over Australia, Fiji and New Zealand in the autumn.
George Ford got the ball rolling, with the 32-year-old kicking an early penalty in the fourth minute to rouse the crowd.
The Twickenham crowd were on their feet again minutes later, with Henry Arundell crossing the line to score his ninth try for his country from just 12 caps.
Wales, overwhelmed, struggled to maintain their discipline.
Henry Arundell scored a hat-trick as England ran riot against Wales in their Six Nations opener
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Nicky Smith was sent to the sin bin after conceding a penalty, with Dewi Lake then following mere moments later.
England, who had a two-man advantage at this stage, then upped the ante.
Arundell scored his second try of the match, Ford kicked a conversion and, with just 19 minutes on the clock, the hosts were running riot.
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England scored their third try in the 25th minute, with Ford shrugging off a challenge from Ellis Mee to go over before kicking well to put the home side 22-0 up.
As the first-half went on, Borthwick’s side continued to impress.
Arundell completed his hat-trick, with Ford converting, to send England 29-0 up at the interval.
To their credit, Wales briefly improved after the break.
Not at first, with Tom Roebuck going over before Ford kicked.
But they did give their supporters inside the famous ground something to cheer about when Josh Adams scored, with Dan Edwards completing his kick.
England have now won their past 12 matches after battering Wales in their Six Nations opener
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England suffered a brief blow when Maro Itoje was sent to the sin bin, having come off the bench.
But with Borthwick making changes, things only got better.
Henry Pollock, coming on, scored a late penalty try after Taine Plumtree was adjudged to have wrapped his arm around his rival’s neck. Tommy Freeman then added gloss at the death.
England have now won their past 12 matches.
By scoring seven tries, they’ve also secued a bonus point that could prove crucial by the end of the campaign.
England will face Scotland next, with that showdown set to take place on Saturday (4.40pm). As for Wales, they’ll be targeting a first Six Nations win since 2023 when they go up against France a week on Sunday (3.10pm).
