As Wales’ replacements jogged out for the second half the stadium soundtrack played the Kaiser Chiefs’ I Predict a Riot, and at 29-0 it felt more like a statement than entertainment. The match never really threatened to become a contest: England’s 48-7 victory was emphatic rather than cruel, with the hosts controlling territory, tempo and scoring opportunities from the early stages.
The numbers underline England’s dominance. They made almost twice the metres Wales did, produced 16 line-breaks to Wales’ six and enjoyed close to 60% of territorial advantage. By the 25-minute mark the visitors’ hopes were already fading.
Steve Borthwick praised the defence, kicking game and finishing but was clear the side still left plenty on the field. He wants better conversion of sustained pressure inside the opposition 22 into points, and he sees room for cleaner execution across a number of areas even after a comfortable opening-round win that leaves England top of the Six Nations.
Henry Arundell grabbed headlines with a first-half hat-trick. The 23-year-old’s international strike-rate is remarkable — 11 tries in 12 Tests, five of them against Chile at last year’s World Cup — and his ability
