Six Nations news: Five talking points from England’s comprehensive victory over Wales at Twickenham

England kick-started their Six Nations campaign with a comprehensive 48-7 victory over Wales at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

A Henry Arundell hat-trick and tries from Ben Earl, Tom Roebuck, and Tommy Freeman, plus a penalty try, saw the home side dispatch an ill-disciplined and underperforming Welsh team.

The win has set England in good stead as they prepare for a Calcutta Cup showdown at Murrayfield, so here’s Sports News Blitz writer Oliver Powell’s talking points from England’s win.

The great George Ford-ini

England’s fly-half pulled some of his finest tricks out of the hat in a five-star display that demonstrated exactly why he holds the number 10 jersey.

Ford’s kicking game set the tempo of the match, constantly putting Louis Rees-Zammit under pressure and allowing the powerful English chasers to get after a side lacking in confidence and momentum.

The cross-kick assist for Arundell’s second try of the afternoon could not have been more inch-perfect, with Ford’s standout quality being his ability to make others’ jobs that much easier by placing the ball exactly where they want it off that wand of a right boot.

The Smiths’ (Marcus and Fin, not the band) provide fierce competition for the starting spot in Steve Borthwick’s job, but it’s hard to envision looking past his trusted man Ford.

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Back row on fire

England’s starting back-row combination probably could have consisted of a different three every time if you asked a hundred people to pick, yet Borthwick looked to have got it spot on come Saturday.

Ben Earl’s place in the team – whether that’s at seven, eight, or even 13 – is almost guaranteed and the Sarries’ man showcased all the qualities that make him one of the best in his position across the globe with his powerful running.

Bath duo Sam Underhill and Guy Pepper have done all they can to keep their place in the team, with Underhill charging down a Rees-Zammit kick within the opening exchanges of the game to fire up the Twickenham crowd.

With the likes of Tom Curry and Henry Pollock on the bench (more on that later), the starting trio haven’t got an easy ride to keep their shirts, but their dominance and jackelling against Wales deserve praise.

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Wingers fill their boots

Arundell, Roebuck, and Freeman all got in on the action in a game where tries were there to be had, showing England have a set of wingers that they know can be difference makers.

Indeed, Arundell managed a first-half hat-trick without really having to be involved in the game – once his blistering pace kicks into gear, he is nigh-on impossible to stop.

Northampton’s Freeman was moved inside to partner club-mate Fraser Dingwall, yet he still got on the scoresheet in the dying embers of the match when moved out wide, making it seven straight Six Nations matches with a try.

Elsewhere, with Manny Feyi-Waboso having been ruled out for the tournament after being tipped to be the star man in England’s campaign, Sale’s Roebuck filled that hole adequately.

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‘Pom Squad’ strikes again

England have no right having that much talent to bring off their bench in the modern-day ‘Pom Squad’ Borthwick has created.

Captain Maro Itoje won’t be a regular member, simply being used as a replacement against Wales due to a recent personal bereavement, but even if it’s Alex Coles or Ollie Chessum moving to the bench, it’s hardly a drop-off.

Three other British & Irish Lions came off the stacked bench in Pollock, Curry, and Smith, and whilst the replacements didn’t have their usual impact, with Itoje and Curry carded, the match was sewn-up by the time they entered the field.

England’s ‘Pom Squad’ will need all their quality if they are to take the scalp of an away victory against old enemy Scotland.

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Don’t get carried away

It’s all fun and games seeing England fly over the line time and time again, but the Roses couldn’t have asked for a more inviting first fixture than wooden-spoon holder Wales at home.

Twickenham has become a fortress again, with the hosts’ last loss coming against the Springboks in 2024, but away games at Scotland and Italy plus the highly-anticipated ‘Le Crunch’ in Paris will decide England’s fate in the tournament.

Wales picked up two yellows in the first 15 minutes and it became apparent fairly quickly they were going to pose no contest to England, if that wasn’t already apparent before the game even began.

There’s plenty of positive takeaways from the game but ultimately tougher tests are to come and England will need to shift up a few more gears against a battle-hardened Scotland.

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