5 Things You Missed: Wales 14 – 68 England – 2025 Six Nations
Yesterday at 20:14
England have ended their 2025 Guinness Men’s Six Nations campaign on a high, with a massive 10-try win over Wales. It is a historic day for Steve Borthwick’s side at the Principality Stadium, with England relentless on the front foot in their push for the Six Nations title.
The onus now rests with Scotland, if England are to win their first Six Nations title since 2020. Gregor Townsend’s side have to either beat France or get the draw in Paris, to hand the trophy to their old enemies from south of the border.
Find your local Greene King and settle in to the Six Nations!
5 THINGS YOU MISSED: WALES 14 – 68 ENGLAND
1. Ollie Chessum injury – England lock has Lions hopes hindered
Ollie Chessum’s hopes of a spot on the British & Irish Lions tour may have taken a considerable set-back, as the England lock sustained an injury in this afternoon’s Six Nations Test against Wales. Chessum was withdrawn with some considerable pain in his shoulder, after a physical clattering into contact in Cardiff.
Chessum has had a tremendous Six Nations campaign, having stepped up in the injury absence of regular starting lock George Martin. However, Chessum’s own hopes for a run with the Lions have just gotten all the more challenging, after his 18th minute exit at the Principality Stadium. Chessum was withdrawn early into the match against Wales, with Chandler Cunningham-South providing some unorthodox coverage covering the England engine room at second row.
It’s a tough sight for Leicester Tigers and British & Irish Lions fans, who would have loved to see Chessum at full flight for the Premiership run in and out on tour in Australia. Word from official RFU channels is that Chessum’s pre-assessment report is a bad ‘stinger’, yet all will be revealed in due course, regarding the extent of the injury.
2. Henry Pollock’s dream debut – back row bolter bags a brace
It was a landmark match for England back row Henry Pollock, as the young bolter earned his senior Test debut whilst wearing the rose. The Northampton Saints man was flung into the fray early in the second half, as he replaced Tommy Freeman and moved Ben Earl across to the centres.
England added their seventh try with Pollock scoring in the landslide win. It was another fast-paced attacking move from Steve Borthwick’s side, as a sharp miss-pass from George Ford found Pollock on the touch-line. Marcus Smith took up the kicking duties, and picked up from where his namesake Fin left off with a well-struck effort through the sticks.
It was an unforgettable moment for the Northampton Saints man, who continues on his meteoric rise at just 20-years-old. The back row was a star of the England U20s side that won the 2024 U20s Six Nations and World Championship double, and recently gained England A caps against Australia and Ireland’s development sides.
3. “Can we play you every week?” – A rampant crowd at the Principality Stadium
The brilliant thing about the Principality Stadium’s media box, is that the reporting journalists are planted slap bang in the middle of the partisan crowd. The atmosphere was electric from both sets of supporters ahead of the match, with the Principality Stadium rocking on it’s foundations as the anthems were played to a roar of 75,000 in attendance. Then came the on-field action, and the England fans were soon the far more vocal set of supporters in the Welsh cathedral.
Amongst the customary cheers for tries and renditions of ‘Swing low, sweet chariot’, there were some more football-like barbs thrown at the Welsh team through the medium of music. Chants of ‘can we play you every week’, and ‘is this your second team’, rang out from the more outlandish pockets of England supporters, as England got an early stronghold on the match. Whilst Wales took the brunt of the England vocality, the songbird Welsh supporters retorted with a Tom Jones-esque rendition of ‘you can stick your *expletive* chariot up your…’
With the heat of the rivalry in full swing, there was then some support for an unexpected third party as England fans knew that they had the bonus point win in the bag. Chants of ‘Scotland, Scotland!’ popped out of from behind the media seats, with the England fans turning their attention to the final match of the Six Nations. All eyes now turn to Paris, with the weights of England’s Six Nations hopes resting with Scotland should they get their hands on the famous piece of silverware.
4. England showcase versatility as Tommy Freeman, Ben Earl and Chandler Cunningham-South effortlessly adapt
There were plenty of question marks raised heading into this clash by the castle, with Steve Borthwick naming quite the unorthodox team on paper. There were no replacement locks within his replacements bench, nor any centre coverage, with regular wing Tommy Freeman getting a start at outside centre in the absence of Ollie Lawrence.
However, the tactical alterations proved to be rather well thought out additions, as Freeman exploded onto the score-sheet mid-way through the first half and was impressive throughout the match. The early withdrawl of Ollie Chessum brought Chandler Cunningham-South onto the pitch after just 18 minutes, with the dread-locked juggernaught moving into the second row despite being a regular flanker in Borthwick’s plans. The Harlequin grabbed two tries against Wales, in what was a solid showing in a new-found position.
Ben Earl then moved across to the outside centre, after Henry Pollock was introduced to the match mid-way through the second half. The Saracen had previously been training with the backs so this was by no means a shock change, yet it was still rather interesting to see how the regular back rower fared in the midfield. Earl stepped up for a solid end to the match, and added another string to his Test match bow.
5. Historic lows for Wales after 17th successive Test defeat
This period of Welsh rugby has certainly been one to forget, as the senior men’s team have lost their 17th consecutive Test match in a row. This is the worst run Wales have ever endured, which stands as the worst ever run of form from any tier one nation since the start of the professional era (1995). This match also held more horror accolades, as England achieved their biggest ever win in Cardiff, which is never a label that a Welshman wants to be stuck with.
Scroll down for a recap of all the on-field action, from the Principality Stadium
THE ON-FIELD ACTION
England wasted no time in the Welsh capital, with a hot start matching the temperature of the pre-match flamethrowers. Fin Smith sent an early England penalty to the corner, with the following maul halted close to the try-line. Maro Itoje then muscled his way over the line, with the England captain setting the attacking tempo for his team with just two minutes on the clock.
Wales then had a try disallowed five minutes later, in what could have altered the momentum of the first half. Blair Murray gathered a loose ball, after neither he or Elliot Daly could claim the initial kick, and the fullback raced along the touchline to score in fine style. Whilst there was no knock on, Wales scrum half Tomos Williams was offside at the following action, and illegally influenced the attacking move.
England returned fire through Tom Roebuck, who made the most of his minutes upon his first taste of the Six Nations stage. The Sale Sharks man collected a wide miss-pass from Fin Smith, and muscled his way through a pair of Wales defenders for only his second Test match. After a 20 minute lull in the action, Wales centre Ben Thomas got his side on the board. The midfielder picked a nice hole to break through, after a series of short drives from the Welsh forwards weakened down the English armaments.
However, this only added fuel to England’s fire, as Steve Borthwick’s side crossed for three unanswered scores within a blistering 10 minutes. Tries from England’s newly adopted centre Tommy Freeman and a makeshift lock in Chandler Cunningham-South, showcased great versatility from Borthwick’s squad. The honor was then bestowed to tight-head prop Will Stuart to add the half-time hammer blow, as England enjoyed the spoils of a five-try effort for a 33-7 lead.
Wales back row Aaron Wainwright then missed a golden opportunity to score, with the try-line begging for the blindside flanker. The ball found the Dragons man out on the left touchline, but Wainwright’s juggle sent the ball spinning into touch. Henry Pollock then joined the fray, with the highly rated Northampton Saints man getting his England debut. The 20-year-old got an immense ovation off the bench, and was all smiles as he joined up with the pack for a scrum.
England re-started the try-scoring after a 15 minute break, with Alex Mitchell’s name added to the score-sheet. The scrum half was quickest to react to a loose ball, and hacked a grubber beyond the Wales try line, before winning the foot race against back-peddling Welsh wing Ellis Mee. A chorus of “can we play you every week” broke out from the confident England fans, who felt that the win was secured 25 minutes from full time, as the score-board ticked over to 40-7.
England then added their seventh try, with debutant Henry Pollock scoring on his senior Test debut. It was another fast-paced attacking move from Steve Borthwick’s side, as a sharp miss-pass from George Ford found Pollock on the touch-line. Marcus Smith took up the kicking duties, and picked up from where his namesake Fin left off with a well-struck effort through the sticks.
Replacement prop Joe Heyes then added an eighth try for England, as the tight-head battered his way over the try-line for a close-range score. The Welsh fans began to filter out with 10 minutes left to go, as their side chased the 54-7 lead. Those who did try and beat the post-match rush missed out on a consolation try, as Ben Thomas crossed over for his brace with five minutes left on the clock. The conversion was added by Teddy Williams, with the deficit now cut down to 40 points.
Back row Pollock then added his second try in the closing minute of the match, as he muscled his way over for a dive under the posts at the 79th minute. It was a dream debut for the young gun, as England achieved an enormous win in Cardiff. Chandler Cunningham-South added England’s tenth try in the final minute of the match, as England achieved an all-timer of a win in the home of Welsh rugby.
ENGLAND: 68
TRIES: 10 (Itoje 2′, Roebuck 10′, Freeman 34′, Cunningham-South 37′, 80′ Stuart 40′, Mitchell 55′, Pollock 67′ 79′ Heyes 70′)
CONVERSIONS: 9 (F. Smith 2′, 10′, 34′, 37′, 55′, M. Smith 67′, 70′, 79′, 80′
PENALTIES: 0
DROP GOALS: 0
YELLOW CARDS: 0
RED CARDS: 0
WALES: 14
TRIES: 2 (B. Thomas 31′, 75′)
CONVERSIONS: 2 (Anscombe 31′, Williams 75′
PENALTIES: 0
DROP GOALS: 0
YELLOW CARDS: 0
RED CARDS: 0
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