The Red Roses were far from perfect and far too good for Wales. The past four meetings between the sides had ended in 50-plus margins of victory for England, so a 36-point reverse is progress of sorts, and Wales deserve credit for finishing strongly. England are ahead of the game in terms of professionalism, but Wales are full time too and, after losing at home to Scotland last weekend, the gap remains a gulf.

The difference between the sides was clear in the opening ten minutes. Wales went through the phases comfortably, losing yardage. Thanks to a pair of penalties, Lleucu George was able to open the scoring. Territory without points was a common theme for Wales.

While Wales huffed, the Red Roses needed one