A resounding 29-18 win over Wales at Twickenham on Sunday kept England very much on course for the Six Nations championship.
Just 12 months ago, England were beaten in Cardiff to hand the title to Wales and, on home soil this time, they were determined to gain revenge and secure the Triple Crown in the process.
And despite Welsh coach Warren Gatland talking his side up, it turned out to be a comfortable victory for England who controlled all areas of the pitch throughout the 80 minutes.
In truth, Wales looked a shadow of the side that had won the last two titles as the hosts tore through them with first-half tries from Danny Care and Luther Burrell. Only Leigh Halfpenny, with his usual unerring kicks, kept the Welsh in touch, but they were fighting a losing battle despite a spirited late rally.
England captain Chris Robshaw said: “It’s a massive scalp – we all know what happened last year.
“We’d lost the last two times we’d played them and we needed some momentum back. We’ve now got ourselves back into contention, and we’re ticking along.”
The win means England are now level on points with Ireland and France, and although an Irish victory in Paris next weekend would almost certainly secure the title, a big points win for England in Italy would keep their Six Nations hopes alive. And if France were to prevail and England win by any score, the title would be theirs.
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