England demolished Wales in their final game of the 2025 Six Nations on Saturday.
The visitors dominated from the first minute to the last in Cardiff, eventually leaving as 68-14 victors.
Replacements Henry Pollock and Chandler Cunningham-South each scored two of England’s TEN tries, while Maro Itoje, Tom Roebuck, Tommy Freeman, Will Stuart, Alex Mitchell and Joe Heyes also crossed the line. Fin Smith also came in for 10 points, with Marcus Smith bagging eight.
At the other end, Ben Thomas scored two tries for Wales. But this was a sorry end to a sorry Six Nations campaign under the interim stewardship of Matt Sherratt.
The result in Cardiff took England top of the table, but they would only remain there and be crowned as champions if Scotland could beat France in Paris later in the day.
Mail Sport’s CHRIS FOY was at the Principality Stadium. Read on for his player ratings.
England thrashed Wales 68-14 in Cardiff on Saturday, scoring 10 tries to their opponents’ two
Wales
Blair Murray: Early try ruled out and denied another prime scoring chance. At times, the only bright spark in the home ranks who troubled England. 7.
Ellis Mee: Had so few opportunities to cut loose as he did against Ireland, although one run in the 22 and deft off-load should have yielded a Welsh try. 6.
Max Llewellyn: Has so much physical clout but it just wasn’t harnessed. Spent the vast majority of his time making tackles; trying in vain to stem the tide. 5.
Ben Thomas: Touched down for Wales on the half-hour, which hinted at a home revival, but it didn’t come. Added a late second for the hollowest consolation. 6.
Joe Roberts: Had the thankless task of trying to contain the imposing Roebuck, which was a struggle. It wasn’t a day to be a Welsh wing. 4.
Cardiff centre Ben Thomas scored both of his side’s tries but Wales were still soundly beaten
Gareth Anscombe: No platform to work from; nothing at all. Forced to kick high and hope. None of his experience could help him exert control. 4.
Tomos Williams: Fine assist for Thomas tries, but few chances to show the sort of electric, imperious form he has produced for Gloucester this season. 4.
Nicky Smith: The loosehead actually managed to demonstrate his running quality once, just briefly. Otherwise, it was a gruelling shift at the sharp end. 4.
Elliot Dee: Had an early lineout throw stolen and the hooker was replaced at half-time, as one of those deemed to be all at sea against a superior force. 3.5.
WillGriff John: The other scapegoat for the first-half ordeal, the tighthead has had some highlights in this Six Nations, but he struggled against Genge. 3.5.
Wales finished bottom of the table after losing all five of their Six Nations fixtures this year
Will Rowlands: He is the man charged with providing real clout in the Wales pack but he couldn’t do anything to match England’s formidable firepower up front. 4.
Dafydd Jenkins: The young Exeter lock bristled with aggression and energy early on, but he became swamped by the one-way traffic eventually. 5.5.
Aaron Wainwright: He was prominent when Wales finally, briefly, had some territory and possession but fumbled a clear scoring chance after half-time. 5.
Taulupe Faletau: Sad to see the esteemed veteran reduced to so many early errors and unable to have any sort of impact to test the English defence. 4.
Jac Morgan: The captain worked himself into the ground as ever, but he was reduced to just tackling and scrambling. Lions hopes took a hit. 4.
Wales replacements:
D Lake (for Dee) – 5, G Thomas (for Smith) – 4.5, K Assiratti (for John) – 4, E Williams (for Rowlands) – 4, T Reffell (for Faletau) – 4, R Williams (for T Williams) – 4, J Evans (for Anscombe) – 4.5, N Tompkins (for Llewellyn) – 4.
Taulupe Faletau, pictured during the pre-match warm-up, made too many errors for Wales
England
Marcus Smith: Targeted in the air, leading to some good takes and some lapses. Kept popping up in space out wide and took over the kicking duties well. 7.
Tom Roebuck: Dream first start; he was an aerial threat, had plenty of touches from the off and produced a strong finish for his try. 8.
Tommy Freeman: What a feat for the versatile Saint who switched positions for a first start in midfield and completed a ‘Grand Slam’ of tries. 8.
Fraser Dingwall: Hailed as a ‘glue player’ but he wasn’t just under-stated here with dangerous running, slick handling and effective cover defence. 7.5.
Elliot Daly: The ball didn’t come his way in space too often, but he did a fine job in what amounted to a support role on a day when others shone. 7.
Another Tommy Freeman try means he scored in all five of his Six Nations outings this year
Ellis Genge exuded menacing intent throughout this shellacking, always getting stuck in
Fin Smith: Superb long pass for Roebuck try. England had their tails up and he kept them surging forward, running the show with composure once again. 7.5.
Alex Mitchell: Was following different orders – with fewer aimless kicks. Plenty of good service but also a couple of untidy, unforced errors. Took try well. 7.
Ellis Genge: Won an early scrum penalty and exuded menacing intent throughout, with his carrying into heavy traffic, plus set-piece and defensive work. 8.
Luke Cowan-Dickie: He will surely dine out for years on the tap tackle which prevented a certain try for Murray. Abrasive and accurate performance. 8.
Will Stuart: What a campaign the Bath prop has had. Marked his 50th Test appearance with another sterling shift in the scrum and a quick-step try. 7.5.
Maro Itoje: The captain scored the first try to start the onslaught and provided strong carrying and a formidable barrier whenever Wales managed to attack. 7.
Captain Maro Itoje led England from the front and scored the game’s first try in the third minute
Ben Curry kept making his presence felt as a link man and was instrumental in the first try
Ollie Chessum: Only lasted 18 minutes before he was helped off, after being treated on the pitch. Still had enough time for a lineout steal. 6.
Tom Curry: As the blindside in a side running amok, he was able to leave the eye-catching stuff to others this time. Busy and committed. 7.
Ben Earl: Early turnover set the tone for a dominant shift. Caused havoc at the breakdown, typically dynamic with ball in hand. Moved to midfield. 8.
Ben Curry: The Sale flanker’s charge led to the visitors’ first try and he kept making his presence felt as a link man in attack and jackal threat. 9.
England replacements:
J George (for Cowan-Dickie) – 7, F Baxter (for Genge) – 6, J Heyes (for Stuart) – 7, C Cunningham-South (for Chessum) – 8, H Pollock (for Freeman) – 8, T Willis (for B Curry) – 7, J van Poortvliet (for Mitchell) – 6, G Ford (for F Smith) – 7.