England rout Wales to keep title dream alive

Men's Six Nations

Wales (7) 14

Tries: B Thomas 2 Cons: Anscombe, J Evans

England (33) 68

Tries: Itoje, Roebuck, Freeman, Cunningham-South 2, Stuart, Mitchell, Pollock 2, Heyes Cons: F Smith 6, M Smith 3

England are poised to nett connected immoderate slip-up by rubric favourites France aft scoring 10 tries successful a grounds Six Nations triumph implicit a dismal Wales astatine the Principality Stadium.

If France neglect to bushed Scotland successful Saturday's last lucifer (20:00 BST) past England volition assistance the trophy for the archetypal clip since 2020.

The visitors' selections gambles - bringing Tommy Freeman into midfield and picking six forwards connected the seat - paid disconnected contempt injuries, arsenic their powerfulness overwhelmed the hosts and nudged them wrong show of the tourney jackpot.

Wales were near with small to cling to arsenic a 17th successive decision was all-but assured by half-time and a thrashing confirmed by the end.

Despite the archetypal aerial of optimism injected by Matt Sherratt's three-game spell arsenic interim caput coach, Wales decorativeness bottommost of the array again, 'retaining' the Wooden Spoon from past year.

This decision surpassed the 50-10 Six Nations nonaccomplishment Wales suffered astatine Twickenham backmost successful March 2002. Only a 62-5 Rugby World Cup warm-up decision successful 2007 stands arsenic a worse effect for Wales successful the fixture's 144-year history.

Steve Borthwick's broadside volition ticker France v Scotland astatine their squad hotel, and instrumentality to an bare Principality Stadium for a imaginable trophy presumption if a triumph for the visitors appears to beryllium successful the offing astatine half-time successful Paris.

Buoyed by the content inspired by narrower scorelines against Ireland and Scotland, Wales fans had dared to imagination earlier kick-off, snarling and singing done England's warm-up.

It lone 3 minutes for world to intrude. England kicked a punishment to the corner, caught, drove and burrowed implicit though skipper Maro Itoje.

England's Under-20 broadside had taken a likewise aboriginal pb the erstwhile nighttime astatine the neighbouring Cardiff Arms Park, lone to beryllium overhauled by a committed Wales performance.

Blair Murray scooping up a escaped shot and scampering successful mightiness person been the spark for a akin comeback, oregon astatine slightest longer-lasting resistance.

But referee Nic Berry chalked disconnected the score, spotting Tomos Williams getting progressive successful play from an offside presumption aft an Alex Mitchell box-kick had been spilled.

Instead a infinitesimal aboriginal Tom Roebuck, picked retired by a fizzed Fin Smith miss pass, showed tremendous scope and spot to dot down, with Murray hanging disconnected him incapable to forestall the people which stretched England's pb to 14 points wrong 10 minutes.

The visitors kept winning the tiny battles. Gareth Anscombe was held disconnected the level aft moving into a tag squad of Will Stuart and Tommy Freeman. Ben Earl celebrated a scrum penalty. Luke Cowan-Dickie made a superb tap-tackle to contradict Murray.

And by the extremity of the fractional they were making large dents successful the scoreline.

Freeman cantered successful connected 34 minutes aft speedy hands from Northampton team-mates Fin Smith and Fraser Dingwall to go the archetypal Englishman to people successful each circular of a Six Nations campaign.

On 38 minutes, Chandler Cunningham-South, connected aboriginal for the injured Ollie Chessum, powered done Murray connected his 2nd surge successful speedy succession.

With the last play of the half, Will Stuart stepped and shunted over. Fin Smith missed lone the last conversion and England went down the passageway 33-7 ahead, with the bonus constituent already secured.

Wales, successful information of disintegrating successful the look of England's powerfulness and cohesion, had lone Ben Thomas' score, a well-taken enactment disconnected Anscombe, successful reply.

A 2nd Wales people went begging aft the interruption arsenic Aaron Wainwright and Max Llewellyn failed to grasp Ellis Mee's offload successful show of the line.

With England's backmost enactment dominating some the breakdown and gainline, it was a uncommon opportunity.

England were forced to rejig erstwhile Freeman went disconnected with an injury. Henry Pollock, who turned 20 successful January, was summoned for his Test debut, portion Earl moved into the centres.

But the disruption did not stem the travel of scores.

Mitchell hacked upfield and gathered for England's sixth effort aft Elliot Daly's tackle had dislodged the shot from replacement Jarrod Evans' grasp.

The replacements cashed successful connected England's unrelenting dominance.

Pollock gleefully marked his Test bow with a score, sprinting successful retired wide from a crisp walk from George Ford earlier prop Joe Heyes gathered Tom Willis' spectacular offload for another.

In beforehand of a muted Principality Stadium, the lone dependable was pockets of celebrating England fans and the shredding of grounds books.

The visiting supporters' minds turned to rubric permutations arsenic chants successful enactment of Scotland sprouted successful the stands, breached lone by cheers arsenic Pollock and Cunningham-South doubled their tallies.

A ample proportionality of Wales fans had departed earlier the end, missing Thomas' 77th-minute people which proved small consolation.

The brutal chasm the hosts inactive person to span was evident to all, however.