Eddie Jones urges England to improve 'fluency and precision' despite victory over Wales
Gavin Mairs
·19 min read
Henry Slade scores England's first try - AFP
Eddie Jones insisted England must improve their “fluency and precision” ahead of next Sunday’s Autumn Nations Cup final despite a 24-13 victory over Wales at the Parc y Scarlets on Saturday.
Jones said he was relieved that his side avoided a “Psycho horror film” comeback by Wales after England had led 11-7 at half-time thanks to a try by Henry Slade and two Owen Farrell penalties after Johnny Williams had opened the scoring with a try by Wales.
Jones feared a repeat of England’s defeat at the Principality Stadium last year, when his side surrendered a slim half-time advantage as Wales threatened another rival when two penalties by Dan Biggar reduced the deficit to 18-13 going into the final quarter despite a try by Mako Vunipola.
England are expected to face France in the final at Twickenham and Jones is demanding improvements.
“We'd like to play with a little more fluency but it's just not there at the moment,” said Jones. “Certainly I'm really pleased with the boys' effort. Their work today was outstanding. We've got one week to do it so it's going to be a good week.
“We've learned a lot in 12 months. At half-time it could have been a psycho horror movie. The woman goes to the shower and you know what's coming from behind the shower curtain.
An immediate response from @EnglandRugby 🏴@Sladey_10 goes over for the visitors who trail by just 2 points
“It was the exact same situation as the game in the Millennium Stadium where we did most of the play in the first, and were slightly ahead. Wales did a few things at the end of the first half to put us off our game and then we had a choice at half-time of how we would react.
“Would we allow them to continue to do that or do we stick to our game? The boys showed really good tactical discipline to stick to our game. We had one little wonky period for around 10 minutes in the second-half but generally we had game control so I was really pleased about that.”
Wales head coach Wayne Pivac was encouraged by his side’s performance.
"A lot of young guys got an opportunity against a strong England side and did well,” said Pivac. We're making improvements.”
06:00 PM
Sam Underhill reaction...
"We're happy with that. We knew it would be a challenge and it was a proper challenge. We were tested and we came out of it well.
"Wales are still a quality outfit and they're always a big challenge. It was nice to be back [in Wales] - it's where I started [with the Ospreys]."
05:53 PM
Sam Underhill named man of the match
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05:52 PM
Full-time | Wales 13 England 24
That sums up the game a bit. Robson's pass from the lineout goes loose. Wales attempt a counter but Daly mops up Rees-Zammit's kick through and that will be that.
05:50 PM
Wales 13 England 24, 78 minutes
England's defence smothers Wales and Sheedy loses his balance. Stuart is over the top and England have the penalty. That was an iffy one. I'm not sure the Bath prop was supporting his bodyweight.
05:47 PM
Wales 13 England 24, 76 minutes
Farrell's kick just stays to the left of the posts. Dan Roobson replaces Ben Youngs.
05:46 PM
Wales 13 England 24, 74 minutes
Genge is really enjoying himself. He spearheads an England scrum that splinters Wales and then Tomas Francis, Genge's opposite number, starts a scuffle.
That hands England an extra 10 metres and Farrell is into range.
05:43 PM
Penalty, Owen Farrell! Wales 13 England 24, 73 minutes
Another successful penalty goal for Farrell.
05:42 PM
Wales 13 England 21, 71 minutes
Big moment. Underhill carries hard from a lineout and Ben Youngs hoists the box-kick. Willis is among the chasers, and forces a penalty by jackalling.
Ellis Genge celebrates with an elated grin.
05:39 PM
Wales 13 England 21, 69 minutes
Clever from Owen Farrell. After Callum Sheedy sparks a counter by feeding Rees-Zammit, Farrell covers across and tap-tackles the wing just as he strikes the kick.
05:37 PM
Wales 13 England 21, 66 minutes
Luke Cowan-Dickie is on for England. He immediately chops down Botham and Underhill pounces to force a turnover.
05:35 PM
Penalty, Owen Farrell! Wales 13 England 21, 66 minutes
Good kick from Farrell. That was about 45 metres out.
05:33 PM
Wales 13 England 18, 62 minutes
Mako Vunipola rouses England, trundling through two tackles. England then attempt to go wide and there is a deliberate knock-on from Elliot Dee but Ben Youngs picks it up and breaks clear, linking with Anthony Watson.
When the ttack breaks down, and via another TMO interjection, we come back for an England penalty.
05:28 PM
Wales 13 England 18, 60 minutes
We reach the hour-mark with Halfpenny catching a high ball from Ford and calling for a mark.
Curry is heading off, possibly for a head injury assessment. JackWillis replaces him.
05:26 PM
Penalty, Dan Biggar! Wales 13 England 18, 58 minutes
Wales are right back in this game.
They get another break from the restart. Webb's box-kick comes off an England hand. The hosts will throw in.
05:25 PM
Wales 10 England 18, 56 minutes
Daly in the action again, conceding a penalty this time. He follows up George Ford's kick and cannot resist dragging the ball back on the ground. The ruck had formed, says Poite, and Wales kick down-field.
England then compound that error as Itoje plays the ball from an offside position.
05:22 PM
Penalty, Dan Biggar! Wales 10 England 18, 54 minutes
Easy kick for Biggar... and an interesting subplot could be brewing here.
Daly is down receiving treatment. Are we going to see Ben Earl on the wing? Not yet. Daly is staying on.
05:20 PM
Wales 7 England 18, 52 minutes
A tricky first involvement for Watson, who has to get on his bike to drag down Rees-Zammit.
England win a turnover thereafter but concedes a penalty shortly afterwards. England's defensive line crept offside in midfield. Biggar calls for the tee.
05:18 PM
Try, Mako Vunipola! Wales 7 England 18, 51 minutes
Rhys Webb replaces Lloyd Williams and his first job is to help Rees-Zammit repel Billy Vunipola from the five-metre scrum.
England pummel away and Wales eventually buckle. Mako Vunipola picks, goes, spins and scores. Farrell converts.
A couple more replacements. Anthony Watson is on for England, with Joseph going off, and Aaron Wainwright takes over from Shane Lewis-Hughes.
05:15 PM
Match action
Joseph has been more prominent than he was last weekend.
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05:13 PM
Wales 7 England 11, 48 minutes
More promising attack from England, with Billy Vunipola, Owen Farrell and then Itoje making inroads.
Slade's grubber gives Wales a lineout on their five-metre line, and Underhill and Curry promptly man-handle Faletau. They drag him over the try-line, handing England a five-metre scrum.
05:12 PM
Wales 7 England 11, 46 minutes
If you want to show someone why possession can be overrated in rugby union, that two-minute stretch would be good source material.
England gradually suffcocate Wales' phase-play until Billy Vunipola charges down Biggar. Ben Youngs' kick on the back of that is too long.
05:08 PM
Wales 7 England 11, 44 minutes
Now England concede a scrum free-kick before Billy Vunipola creeps offside. A bitty start to the second period.
05:06 PM
Wales 7 England 11, 42 minutes
Tomas Francis replaces Samson Lee as England's maul gathers steam...
...but then Wales nab it and counter the drive. Fantastic stuff. It's Ryan Elias. Great response from the Wales hooker.
05:05 PM
Wales 7 England 11, 41 minutes
Ryan Elias looks a bit tentative, and is told to move closer to the middle of the lineout... before a throw that is very wonky.
Wales are then penalised from the ensuing scrum. Henry Slade drives a kick deep into the hosts' 22.
05:03 PM
Second half
Biggar gets us started, kicking to Billy Vunipola. Ben Youngs clears into touch on halfway.
05:02 PM
Players out
We're ready again.
05:02 PM
Romain Poite eyes the screen
I think he is checking out the Williams try here. Wales supporters might have wished he looked more carefully at the Underhill tackle on Biggar or the Daly tackle on Adams.
The Daily Mail NMC Pool - The Daily Mail NMC Pool
04:48 PM
Half-time | Wales 7 England 11
Sinckler and Launchbury make a tackle. Itoje and Curry pounce. An effective combination, winning a penalty for England.
That's the end of a cagey but absorbing first 40 minutes.
04:46 PM
Wales 7 England 11, 40 minutes
Is there another twist to this half? Louis Rees-Zammit chases the restart hard and tackles Curry. Alun Wyn Jones piles into the breakdown. It's unplayable, and Wales get the put-in.
04:45 PM
Penalty, Owen Farrell! Wales 7 England 11, 39 minutes
Accurate from the England captain. He splits the posts from 15 metres in from the right touchline.
04:45 PM
Wales 7 England 8, 38 minutes
Poite penalises Samson Lee at the scrum, again. I think that's the third time. He calls over ALun Wyn Jones.
"We have many issues at the scrum with your team. You talk to your front rows."
Meanwhile, Farrell will go for the posts. Big moment.
04:43 PM
Wales content to kick
Underhill 22m run with ball after 30 mins, Wales 24m
Messy. Wales overthrow the lineout and Underhill gobbles it up but England cannot puncture Wales' defensive line.
Launchbury attempts to flip a short pass and there is an England knock-on. Wyn Jones grabs Sinckler by the collar. Some very tried handbags.
04:40 PM
Wales 7 England 8, 35 minutes
Five minutes until half-time and, so far, you imagine Wayne Pivac will be the happier of the two coaches.
As I type, Henry Slade steps up at first-receiver and slides a grubber through towards the Wales 22 and into touch.
04:39 PM
Wales 7 England 8, 34 minutes
Johnny Williams, who has been superb, follows up a kick and Wales spread the ball towards their left. England look weary and disorganised but there is a knock-on by Ryan Elias.
04:37 PM
Wales 7 England 8, 32 minutes
Maro Itoje rises to take Jamie George's throw and a robust maul wins a penalty.
Then Wales get the ball straight back. Daly is laucnhed in midfield but Wales are up to pressurise Ford, who kicks out on the full.
04:36 PM
Wales 7 England 8, 31 minutes
The Daily Mail NMC Pool - The Daily Mail NMC Pool
Dan Biggar finds Josh Adams with a kick-pass, but Daly's robust cover tackle wins a lineout for England.
04:34 PM
Penalty, Owen Farrell! Wales 7 England 8, 30 minutes
Nice strike.
04:33 PM
Wales 7 England 5, 28 minutes
Really interesting stuff here. From a kick-return from Jonny May, England hold on to the ball and go through the phases, stretching Wales on both wings.
Ford dances past a couple of tackles and then Joseph threatens to slice through but is tripped by James Botham's fine tap-tackle.
Wales infringe at the breakdown, so Farrell will call for the tee.
04:30 PM
Wales 7 England 5, 24 minutes
Menacing from England but excellent from Leigh Halfpenny. Tom Curry plays a lovely short pass to Sam Underhil, who bursts through and offloads to Ford.
Halfpenny makes the tackle, and Josh Adams is over the ball to win a penalty.
04:27 PM
Wales 7 England 5, 22 minutes
The breakdowns are bedlam out there. Billy Vunipola forces a turnover for England by dancing around the ruck after Poite deems the ball to be out.
04:24 PM
Wales 7 England 5, 21 minutes
He misses.
04:24 PM
Wales 7 England 5, 19 minutes
Excellent from Wales. Billy Vunipola is laycnhed in midfield from a lineout but Johnny Williams up-ends him and Biggar kicks the ball through.
Owen Farrell is then caught offside in midfield. Leigh Halfpenny will attempt to stretch Wales' lead.
04:21 PM
Wales 7 England 5, 18 minutes
It's been a controversial, compelling first quarter. As I type that, England are awarded another scrum penalty for a second early engagement.
04:19 PM
Try, Henry Slade! Wales 7 England 5, 15 minutes
What a response! It's slightly controversial again as the TMO interjects, saying Sam Underhill tackled Dan BIggar in the air.
Poite over-rules that interjection and go from touchline to touchline before Underhill surges through midfield and Kyle Sinckler goes close. The ball is then spread to England's left where Farrell releases Slade.
Farrell does not convert, though. Wales still lead.
04:15 PM
Wales 7 England 0, 12 minutes
Ford has looked slightly rusty with his passing and now hits a restart over the touchline. Wales will have the put-in on halfway.
04:14 PM
Try, Johnny Williams! Wales 7 England 0, 10 minutes
It stands. Ironically, it comes from England's kicking game. England go wide and Slade attempts a grubber through with his left foot.
Dan Biggar blocks it and then reaches the loose ball first, hacking it through. George Ford slips over and Williams dots down.
Leigh Halfpenny converts. Wow. What a start.
04:12 PM
Try, Johnny Williams! Wales 5 England 0, 10 minutes
Out of nothing! Oh, hang on... it's getting checked by the television match official.
04:11 PM
Match action
Here's Elliot Daly probing Wales' kick-chase early on.
The RFU Collection - The RFU Collection
04:10 PM
Wales 0 England 0, 8 minutes
A settled for Farrell, but he skews it badly to the right. Still scorelesss.
04:08 PM
Wales 0 England 0, 6 minutes
Nick Tompkins puts in an excellent tackle on opposite man Henry Slade but Maro Itoje is adjudged to have knocked on as Ford hits another high ball to the skies.
Scrum put-in to Wales... and a penalty to England. Samson Lee is the guilty party.
04:06 PM
Wales 0 England 0, 3 minutes
A fascinating start. Wales concede a free-kick for an early engage. England go quickly through Billy Vunipola and run through a couple of phases with Mako Vunipola prominent.
They go wide via Farrell and Jamie George but Wales hold firm and we have some kick-tennis.
04:02 PM
Wales 0 England 0, 1 minute
Ford immediately hoists a high ball and Jonathan Joseph beats Leigh Halfpenny to it. Wales spills the ricochet and England will have the first put-in...
04:01 PM
Kick-off
England huddle up one more time as Wales' players take off their training jackets.
The visitors get us underway, George Ford gets us underway, kicking fairly deep towards Taulupe Faletau.
He gathers and Lloyd Williams clears down to Elliot Daly.
03:58 PM
Players out
A moment's silence has been observed, the anthems have been sung. Kick-off is upon us now.
03:48 PM
Ten minutes to go
The warm-ups have finished. The players have returned to the changing rooms. Anthems next.
"You can smell the tradition here. As soon as you drive into Llanelli, you think of some of their great performances. This'll be a tough game for us.
"George [Ford] coming in gives us a bit more balance and Henry Slade moves to what is probably his best position at 13."
Asked what we should make of England's six-two bench split, he says: "That's our best 23".
03:25 PM
Max Malins is warming up with England
For those interested. Here he is.
AFP - AFP
03:22 PM
Wayne Pivac pre-match interview
"It's been a good training week and it's a set-up, England-Wales."We're talked about how we want to start the game and our selection shows that."It's a big, passionate performance that we're after."
Getty Images Europe - Getty Images Europe
03:19 PM
Meeting of minds
Have a caption competition in the comments section if you like.
I realise this could back-fire, but we are expecting dry weather for this afternoon's game.
REUTERS - REUTERS
The surface is lovely.
02:34 PM
A more pragmatic Wales today?
Great stat-finding from Russ Petty, as ever. Are we in for a kick-fest?
After the 6N game v England, Pivac said “I think we played a little bit too much rugby. It’s about getting the balance right of where we play and when we play with the ball"
England exit from 22 in that game = carried 23% , Wales = 52% (AWS match report) pic.twitter.com/MedQUFaZH1
The former England captain is one of our columnists for the Autumn Nations Cup. This week, he writes about how England have become such a fit, tenacious team under Eddie Jones. There is a look at the captaincy, too, as well as how England are "taking what games give to them".
Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live text commentary of this Autumn Nations Cup tie between Wales and England. It should be a very interesting afternoon in Llanelli.
The hosts are significant underdogs. Bookies are offering a 16-point handicap, something that might have been unthinkable even earlier this year. But that makes sense in context.
Wayne Pivac’s side have won one of their past six Tests. The only teams they have beaten in 2020 are Italy and Georgia. And they are in the midst of an injury crisis as well.
Jonathan Davies, Justin Tipuric, Josh Navidi, Ross Moriarty, Liam Williams and Ken Owens are among those that have been sidelined. Others, such as scrum-half Gareth Davies, are out of form.
Either side of Taulupe Faletau, flankers Shan Lewis-Hughes and James Botham start. They boast a grand total of three Test caps between them. No wonder Pivac is speaking about the road to Rugby World Cup 2023… even if he has picked 30-year-old Lloyd Williams.
England arrive at Parc y Scarlets on the back of a dominant victory over Ireland. Their defence was ferocious and simply enveloped the visitors at Twickenham last Saturday.
Ollie Lawrence misses out because of a niggle, but Eddie Jones’ team is close to full strength. Only England’s front-line internationals, only Jack Nowell, Courtney Lawes and Manu Tuilagi are unvailable.
And, yet, stranger things have happened. You suspect that the desire to ward off complacency is one reason that Jones has spent this week talking about how Llanelli is a spiritual home of Welsh rugby that has witnessed some wonderful results – notably a 9-3 win for the club over New Zealand in October 1972.
History lessons aside, and even though this fixture is not part of the Six Nations or a World Cup, Wales will be determined. And no team captained by Alun Wyn Jones will roll over.
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