England vs Wales LIVE! Rugby World Cup warm-up result, latest reaction and updates
England fought back to edge Wales 19-17 in a World Cup warm up full of incident, injury and yellow cards - and notably a red card for captain Owen Farrell that could see him suspended for their opening game of the tournament in France next month.
England led 6-0 at halftime through two Farrell penalties but a dull game at Twickenham then burst into life in the second half amid a flurry of sin-binnings.
Wales were awarded a penalty try after a tackle in the air that saw Freddie Steward yellow-carded and England were soon down to 13 with Ellis Genge and Farrell joining him.
Farrell’s yellow for a shoulder to the face of Taine Basham was then upgraded to red. With only two warm ups remaining he faces a strong possibility of missing the key World Cup opening game against Argentina.
Wales went further ahead with a Tomos Williams try but England’s 13 men then shoved Maro Itoje over the line to get the crowd going.
Replacement George Ford converted then kicked the decisive penalty four minutes from the end.
England vs Wales latest updates
Match report
England avoid crisis but Wales win offers more questions than answer
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20:17 , Jonathan Gorrie
Thank you for joining Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of England’s win over Wales.
Find our report, ratings and analysis below!
England player ratings: Ford saves the day but Arundell lacklustre
20:16 , Jonathan Gorrie
England came from behind to claim a morale-boosting win over Wales.
George Ford completed a late turnaround as Steve Borthwick’s side avoided an all-out crisis but the victory was tempered by a red card for captain Owen Farrell.
Nick Purewal was at Twickenham to rate the England players…
England avoid crisis but Wales win offers more questions than answers
19:59 , Jonathan Gorrie
A nerveless George Ford papered over a host of craters to boot England to a madcap, scrappy but vital 19-17 victory over Wales at Twickenham.
England were reduced to 12 men for five minutes in west London, and even saw captain Owen Farrell sent off for a head-high shot on Taine Basham.
Steve Borthwick’s men would have slipped to an all-time low world ranking of ninth in defeat. Victory snatched at the last and from a deep, worrying malaise at least staves off that ignominy.
Read Nick Purewal’s full analysis here!
Farrell red card tempers much-needed England win
19:57 , Jonathan Gorrie
England’s preparations for the World Cup continued to unravel after captain Owen Farrell was sent off in a 19-17 victory secured through a late George Ford penalty.
At one point during the final quarter Steve Borthwick’s men were reduced to 12 men when Farrell - whose yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Taine Basham was upgraded to a red by the bunker - followed the sin-binned Freddie Steward and Ellis Genge into the stands.
England’s brainless final quarter saw a 9-3 lead overtaken by a penalty try and swashbuckling Tomos Williams touch-down as an otherwise lifeless encounter exploded into life the moment Steward took Josh Adams out in the air in the 60th minute.
A fourth successive defeat and slump to ninth in the world rankings beckoned, but they rallied bravely and even with three players off the pitch they claimed a maul try scored by Maro Itoje before Ford landed the winning penalty with three minutes left.
FT: England 19-17
19:32 , Jonathan Gorrie
A dramatic comeback win for England just at the right time.
Nick Purewal at Twickenham
19:27 , Jonathan Gorrie
Somehow England are back in front thanks to Ford’s penalty, but Wales are still pressing and there’s a nervy five-plus minutes ahead for the beleaguered and denuded hosts here.
PENALTY!
19:25 , Jonathan Gorrie
75 mins: Ford converts again to give England the lead!
Great last 10 minutes or so.
Nick Purewal at Twickenham
19:22 , Jonathan Gorrie
The 12 men of England respond immediately, with Maro Itoje capping a driving maul with a try, and George Ford converting to cut the deficit to one point, with Wales leading 17-16. Farrell’s punishment was then upgraded to a red card, leaving England still right in the mire despite that score.
TRY! England 16-17 Wales
19:18 , Jonathan Gorrie
67 mins: England’s first try in almost three hours!
Itoje bundles over the maul before Ford converts.
Farrell, however, has been sent off.
Nick Purewal at Twickenham
19:14 , Jonathan Gorrie
England’s 12 men leak an immediate try, with Tomos Williams coasting home unopposed from Joe Roberts’ pass. The Twickenham crowd is stunned, and this is little short of embarrassing. Dan Biggar’s conversion puts Wales into a 17-9 lead with 15 minutes to play.
TRY! England 9-17 Wales
19:13 , Jonathan Gorrie
65 mins: Tommos Williams scores for Wales.
Lovely work from Bigar frees Roberts, who hands it to Williams to put Wales well into the lead.
Bigar then converts.
Farrell red card review
19:11 , Jonathan Gorrie
63 mins: Farrell binned as we await a review to see if its going to be upgraded to a red...
Nick Purewal at Twickenham
19:05 , Jonathan Gorrie
No sooner had Genge gone to the bin, than Freddie Steward joined him. Steward tackled Josh Adams in the air as the Wales wing collected a high ball, and was fortunate not to see red in some respects. Liam Williams knocked on trying to score, but Steward’s aerial challenge earned him a yellow card – and handed Wales a penalty try to give the hosts the 10-9 lead.
TRY! England 9-10 Wales
19:03 , Jonathan Gorrie
59 mins: Bigar with a stunning cross-field ball to Adams, who is brought down by Steward, allowing Williams to score.
Steward and Genge binned, not a good few minutes for England.
Nick Purewal at Twickenham
18:57 , Jonathan Gorrie
England have hardly improved after the break, and the scrum has started to splinter just as it did in Cardiff last weekend. Ollie Lawrence finally had chance to hit a hard line however, to show his brute force at least the once.
PENALTY! England 9-3 Wales
18:43 , Jonathan Gorrie
45 mins: England 9-3 Wales
Wales on the board as Owen Williams coverts with the help of the post.
PENATLY! England 9-0 Wales
18:41 , Jonathan Gorrie
41 mins: Reffell penalised for not releasing his player on the turnover and Farrell converts .
Two hours and seven minutes since England last scored a try...
Back underway!
18:36 , Jonathan Gorrie
Here we go for the second-half!
Nick Purewal at Twickenham
18:28 , Jonathan Gorrie
Well, England take a 6-0 lead into the break, but that’s where the positives pretty much begin and end. The hosts only found a multi-phase sequence for the first time with the final play of the half. The latitude afforded to an England side still building under a new coach is diminishing by the minute. Exit this match without any tangible evidence they can compose and then finish an attacking move, and serious questions about this regime’s direction of travel will be wholly justified.
HT: England 6-0 Wales
18:23 , Jonathan Gorrie
A low-key first-half at Twickenham comes to an end.
PENALTY! England 6-0 Wales
18:21 , Jonathan Gorrie
42 mins: Farrell doubles England’s lead as the last act of the first-half.
Two flawed teams
18:18 , Jonathan Gorrie
38 mins: England struggling to keep their pressure up, unable to turn their territory into points.
Wales, meanwhile, are faultering in the maul.
Nick Purewal at Twickenham
18:11 , Jonathan Gorrie
Jack Van Poortvliet will be an immediate World Cup doubt after a nasty-looking knee injury. His right knee buckled under no pressure and he was swiftly replaced by Ben Youngs. Henry Arundell had just been sin-binned for a brainless tackle on Liam Williams without retreating after a mark. And so England are in the wars again.
Blow for England
18:08 , Jonathan Gorrie
31 mins: Van Poortvliet now goes off injured with what looks like a serious ankle problem. Ben Youngs on to replace.
Nick Purewal at Twickenham
18:07 , Jonathan Gorrie
Elliot Daly is purring out there, the cool Saracens cat in his side-stepping element already, in his first Test appearance in 18 months. One of the few England men who can conjure a break from nowhere, it is no wonder Borthwick sees him as a vital selection.
Huge blow for Wales
18:03 , Jonathan Gorrie
29 mins: Lake forced off with another injury and is replaced by Sam Parry.
Nick Purewal at Twickenham
17:59 , Jonathan Gorrie
Just like last week, England keep losing the ball in contact. No phase play means no momentum. So far, so impossible, again, to find out what this England squad is all about. With a quarter gone, England are long overdue for an attacking platform.
Mixed start for Plumtree
17:53 , Jonathan Gorrie
22 mins: Just his second game for Wales has been eventful.
A conceded penalty, a missed line-out jump and a wonderful 50-22 kick with 20 minutes.
Been very busy...
England on top
17:47 , Jonathan Gorrie
15 mins: It’s the home side dominating and building pressure here.
Wales lose control at the back of the scrum, allowing Earl to have a run but he cannot quite convert.
Nick Purewal at Twickenham
17:45 , Jonathan Gorrie
Idris Elba was spied in the crowd watching England, sat next to RFU chair Tom Ilube. Actor Elba’s latest show Hijack is already a big hit for the Apple Plus streaming service. England were looking to seize control on the pitch meanwhile, and Owen Farrell’s penalty provided an early lead.
PENALTY TO ENGLAND!
17:42 , Jonathan Gorrie
Plumtree penalised and Farrell puts England ahead!
Slow stsrt
17:40 , Jonathan Gorrie
08 mins: Big midfield battle at the moment with neither team getting too much of a foot hold.
Almost for England!
17:34 , Jonathan Gorrie
02 mins: Farrell looks to find Arundell with a kick through but he can’t quite get there towards the try line as Williams covers
KICK-OFF
17:31 , Jonathan Gorrie
Away we go!
Nick Purewal at Twickenham
17:22 , Jonathan Gorrie
A different slant at Twickenham today in the build-up to kick-off, with Sigma doing their utmost to hype the crowd. The MCing might very well be lost on the Land Rover set, but it’s an attempt at something new, if nothing else. England are looking for something new on the field meanwhile, with boss Steve Borthwick determined to spark life into his Test team. The World Cup opener against Argentina on September 9 is fast approaching, and England desperately need power, pace and finishing on show today.
Almost there!
17:19 , Jonathan Gorrie
Just over ten minutes until England get their chance for revenge.
More questions than answers for Steve Borthwich in World Cup warm-up loss
17:02 , Jonathan Gorrie
While England slumped to demoralising defeat in one Cardiff citadel, Tom Jones was busy belting out his greatest hits in another.
Steve Borthwick’s men were laboured and one-paced in a galling 20-9 loss at the Principality Stadium. The chances are high that everything came a lot more easily to Sir Tom at his Cardiff Castle gig.
Late Wales blow
16:55 , Jonathan Gorrie
Kieran Hardy has withdrawn for family reasons, with Gareth Davies coming in as a replacement.
England vs Wales head to head record
16:50 , Jonathan Gorrie
Wales’ win last weekend was their first over England since 2021, following back-to-back Six Nations losses. They have not won at Twickenham since the 2015 World Cup.
England wins: 67
Wales wins: 61
Draws: 12
Owen Farrell’s pre-match message
16:30 , Jonathan Gorrie
“Playing Wales at Twickenham is a fantastic opportunity for the team and we’re all excited to get out there.“
Winners and losers as England name Rugby World Cup squad
15:56 , Jonathan Gorrie
Henry Slade was the biggest omission from England’s 33-man Rugby World Cup squad, with Alex Dombrandt following closely in another surprise absence.
Nick Purewal examines the winners and losers from Steve Borthwick’s selection for the fast-approaching global contest in France.
See the winners and losers here!
Ben Earl: Determination finally pays dividends with Rugby World Cup call
15:48 , Jonathan Gorrie
Now that he has dispatched the elephant in the room, Ben Earl will chase a Rugby World Cup starting berth.
The Saracens back-rower cut a candid figure ahead of this year’s Premiership Final, opening up on 18 months of England struggles before driving his club’s 35-25 Twickenham triumph over Sale.
England head coach Steve Borthwick had just been to visit Saracens’ Old Albanians training ground, detailing what he wanted from his World Cup hopefuls. Earl leaned forward intently and conceded all the selection pointers in the world could not quite help him shake the scarring from an extended stint on England’s outside, looking longingly in.
Steve Borthwick issues withering dismissal of Warren Gatland’s fitness claims
15:34 , Jonathan Gorrie
Steve Borthwick has offered a withering dismissal of Warren Gatland’s criticism of the England Test team’s fitness levels.
England lost to Wales 20-9 in Cardiff on Saturday, whereupon home boss Gatland sauntered through the bowels of the Principality Stadium clutching a post-match beer – and stopped long enough to remark: “Too fit for them.”
Four words to launch a classic Gatland verbal bomb, only for Borthwick to defuse the metaphorical device, and with as little issue as possible.
Six words in fact were sufficient for Borthwick to consign Gatland’s smoking touch paper to the waste bin.
“I focus my attention on my team,” said Borthwick, fixing a jaw as steely as his resolve, when asked whether there is any benefit in mind games akin to those favoured by the wily Wales boss Gatland.
Topsy Ojo column: Billy Vunipola as England’s only World Cup No8 puts big demands on team-mates
15:21 , Jonathan Gorrie
To go deep into the Rugby World Cup, England will need their back-row forwards to carry 15 to 20 times a match — and to get over the gainline every single time.
That is why I thought the inclusion of just one specialist No8 in Billy Vunipola was the biggest surprise omission from head coach Steve Borthwick’s 33-man England squad for the fast-approaching tournament.
Harlequins’ Alex Dombrandt had been a regular performer in the England squad, so can count himself very unlucky not to have made the final cut.
France and Ireland are the world’s outstanding sides right now, and that power No8 game is a key element of what they do. You need your No8 to be a dominant ball-carrier for 60 to 70 minutes of a Test match.
Jamie George ‘gutted’ as Ben Earl avoids unwanted England record against Wales
15:09 , Jonathan Gorrie
Jamie George has been left “gutted” that his unwanted England record remains intact.
The England hooker set a record for the longest Test career without an international start, with 18 consecutive replacement appearances before his full debut in November 2017.
His Saracens team-mate Ben Earl was quickly closing in on that mark, having racked up 15 caps off the bench since his 2020 Test bow.
Prediction: England to win by 10 points
15:04 , Jonathan Gorrie
Back-to-back defeats by a Welsh team that have struggled so badly otherwise in 2023 would be a terrible look for England ahead of the World Cup, warm-ups or not.
Borthwick’s side dominated the first half in Cardiff and laid on a host of try-scoring opportunities, but faded thereafter and majorly lacked a killer instinct that must be developed quickly if they are to have any chance of a first global title for two decades.
No1-ranked Ireland in Dublin will be a seriously tough test next Saturday and England could really do with building some confidence as the naysayers begin to increase after Monday’s final squad selection, despite the 2003 champions landing on the easier half of the draw in France.
Another strong result and performance would do Wales the world of good, but we expect the hosts to come out on top in another fierce battle here, having named close to their first-choice XV and been boosted by the returns of Farrell and Co.
England to win, by 10 points.
Confirmed Wales lineup
15:03 , Jonathan Gorrie
Wales XV: L Williams; Adams, Roberts, Tompkins, Rogers; O Williams, T Williams; G Thomas, Lake (c), Francis, Beard, R Davies, Lydiate, Reffell, Plumtree.
Replacements: Parry, Mathias, Lewis, Tshiunza, Basham, Hardy, Biggar, K Williams.
Confirmed England lineup
15:03 , Jonathan Gorrie
England XV: Steward; Arundell, Marchant, Lawrence, Daly; Farrell (c), Van Poortvliet; Marler, George, Stuart, Itoje, Martin, Lawes, Earl, B Vunipola.
Replacements: Dan, Genge, Cole, Hill, Willis, Youngs, Ford, Malins.
Wales team news: Wholesale changes to XV
15:03 , Jonathan Gorrie
Wales suffered a double injury blow in their initial win over England after Scarlets hooker Ryan Elias (hamstring) and Exeter lock Dafydd Jenkins (knee) both limped off at the Principality, and will miss out this wekend and the final World Cup warm-up game against defending champions South Africa at the Principality on August 19
Wales show a completely different XV for their second clash with England, with Scarlets centre Joe Roberts handed his senior international debut in midfield alongside Nick Tompkins. Taine Plumtree gets his first start at No8, and hooker Dewi Lake will be captain after Jac Morgan took on the job last weekend. Tom Rogers makes his first Wales appearance for over two years on one wing, with Josh Adams earning his 50th cap on the other.
Namesakes Owen and Tomos Williams are the chosen half-back pairing on this occasion, with Liam Williams at full-back. Lake is joined in the front row by props Gareth Thomas and Tomas Francis, with Adam Beard and Rhys Davies at lock and the back row filled out by Dan Lydiate and Tommy Reffell.
There are two more potential debutants on the Welsh replacement bench in Scarlets prop Kemsley Mathias and Ospreys centre Keiran Williams.
England team news: Vunipola to make first start under Borthwick
15:02 , Jonathan Gorrie
England are back at close to full strength for today’s game, seeing a host of Premiership finalists return, including captain Owen Farrell.
All eyes will be on Billy Vunipola for his first appearance under Borthwick, having surprisingly been named as the only specialist No8 in the squad for France.
Ollie Lawrence and Joe Marchant is the midfield pairing, with Henry Arundell and Elliot Daly on the wings and Freddie Steward at full-back, plus Jack van Poortvliet at 9.
Joe Marler, Jamie George and Will Stuart are the front row, with Maro Itoje back at lock with George Martin. Vunipola is joined in the back row by Ben Earl and Courtney Lawes.
Where to watch England vs Wales today
15:01 , Jonathan Gorrie
TV channel and live stream: Saturday’s match is being broadcast live via Amazon Prime Video and the Amazon Prime Video app.
Live blog: You can follow coverage of the whole game with Standard Sport’s live blog, featuring expert analysis from rugby correspondent Nick Purewal at Twickenham.
Welcome
14:53 , Jonathan Gorrie
Good afternoon and welcome to England’s Summer Nations Series clash with Wales at Twickehnam today.
Kick-off is at 5.30pm BST.