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Wales won the Triple Crown and moved two victories away from a Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam after dismissing England 40-24 at the Principality Stadium.<\/p>\nWales won the Triple Crown and moved two victories away from a Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam after dismissing England 40-24 at the Principality Stadium.<\/p>\n
While Wales secured the first major silverware of head coach Wayne Pivac\u2019s reign in bonus-point fashion, his opposite number Eddie Jones saw England\u2019s title hopes reduced to ruins.<\/p>\n
But Jones would have been left fuming by circumstances surrounding Wales\u2019 two first-half tries, before scrum-half Kieran Hardy\u2019s 49th-minute score kept the hosts on course and three late Callum Sheedy penalties and a Cory Hill touchdown thwarted England.<\/p>\n
Wales\u2019 opening try came after referee Pascal Gauzere had told England captain Owen Farrell to talk to his team and warn them after conceding the latest among a rash of early penalties.<\/p>\n
Farrell, though, had barely started to do that before Gauzere called time back on, Dan Biggar kicked to the corner and wing Josh Adams finished impressively.<\/p>\n
And there was no less debate over Wales\u2019 second try as Louis Rees-Zammit appeared to knock the ball on before Liam Williams gathered over the line, but the television match official Alex Ruiz was happy to approve Gauzere\u2019s on-field decision of a try.<\/p>\n
It was England\u2019s second defeat of a miserable Six Nations campaign that began with Scotland claiming a first win at Twickenham for 38 years, despite tries by Anthony Watson and Ben Youngs, four Farrell penalties and a conversion.<\/p>\n
But Wales proved unstoppable and backed up victories over Ireland and Scotland by dismissing their fiercest rivals behind closed doors in Cardiff, with Biggar kicking a penalty and two conversions, while Sheedy booted 13 points.<\/p>\n
How 70,000 Welsh supporters would have reveled in the triumph as their team edged closer to another Six Nations title ahead of away games against Italy and France next month.<\/p>\n
Center George North led Wales out as he became the youngest player to win 100 caps for their country.<\/p>\n
His team quickly looked to make a mark after England conceded two penalties in rapid succession and, after they infringed again, lock Maro Itoje the culprit, Biggar kicked Wales ahead.<\/p>\n
Itoje then went close to the game\u2019s opening try, charging down an attempted clearance by Hardy, but home full-back Williams narrowly beat him to the ball.<\/p>\n
Hardy\u2019s opposite number Ben Youngs sparked England\u2019s first concerted attack and it ended with Wales conceding a penalty that Farrell landed to tie things up after 12 minutes.<\/p>\n
But Wales then stormed in front thanks to Biggar\u2019s opportunism after he sacrificed a makeable penalty by kicking to the corner and Adams took a clean catch before claiming his 15th Test try.<\/p>\n
Farrell made protestations to Gauzere, but England had been caught napping by Biggar\u2019s adventure and the fly-half\u2019s conversion opened up a seven-point advantage that Farrell quickly reduced through a long-range penalty that closed an entertaining opening quarter.<\/p>\n
If England felt aggrieved by Wales\u2019 first try, there was more to come 10 minutes before half-time.<\/p>\n
Rees-Zammit could not gather a bouncing ball and it appeared that he might have knocked on before Williams crossed England\u2019s line.<\/p>\n
Gauzere consulted television replays, which still appeared inconclusive in terms of a knock-on, but he awarded the touchdown by Williams before another Biggar conversion made it 17-6.<\/p>\n
England desperately needed to score before the break and Watson obliged four minutes before the break, finishing strongly under pressure from three Welsh defenders.<\/p>\n
The visitors were back in it before a Farrell penalty made it 17-14 at half-time.<\/p>\n
Biggar, who appeared to suffer a knock just before the break, was replaced by Sheedy just five minutes into the second period, and Wales extended their lead shortly afterwards.<\/p>\n
England could have no complaints this time as Hardy took a quick tap-penalty and left defenders floundering before touching down unopposed, and Sheedy added the extras.<\/p>\n
England hit back through an impressive Youngs try that Farrell converted to bring up 1,000 points in the white shirt, only for Sheedy to edge Wales back in front through a 66th-minute strike.<\/p>\n
He kicked two further penalties to clinch victory and then added the conversion to Hill\u2019s try as Wales finished the match in style.<\/p>\n