ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Toby Flood steers England to victory over Wales in championship opener

BY Grant Constable  ·  Saturday Feb 5, 2011

Toby Flood steers England to victory over Wales in championship opener


In a physical contest that lived up to the pre-match hype, Martin Johnsons England side got their 2011 campaign off to the best of starts with a hard fought 26-19 RBS 6 Nations win over Wales.

With all the mud-slinging that has been going on this week, this volatile fixture was charged from the start, with plenty of hand-bags being thrown between the two-sides; especially from Paul James and Dan Cole in the front-row.

The heat of the ‘Dragons Den’ clearly got to a red-faced Andy Powell – who saw the shepherds crook on the 30 minute mark after conceding a soft penalty; Welsh coach Warren Gatland turning to Ospreys Captain Ryan Jones to provide a calming head to procedures.

But it was Englands young guns who came too the fore once again; with Foden, Youngs and Ashton masterfully steered by man-of-the-match Toby Flood.

The Tigers fly-half was faultless from hand and from the boot, and was provider for Ashtons first score – spotting a mismatch in midfield, drifting into the space and offloading to the supporting Ashton who tempted fate with an outrageous swallow-dive.

Ashton grabbed his brace early on in the second-half before Wales staged a fight-back with a scything break from Jonathan Davies leading to a score for winger Morgan Stoddart.

Yet as Johnson made a raft of changes, amongst which was the in-form Jonny Wilkinson, England snuffed out the dying embers of the Dragons attack, and a late Wilkinson penalty duly hammered the knock-out blow to Wales’ hope of a win.

After the game, England manager Martin Johnson was optimistic that his team can build upon this win: “Next week we can say actually, we can play loads better than this and not give teams the chance to get out of jail.

“But we need to enjoy this win. We will hand out the rollockings on Monday. We made little mistakes, some of our own making, in the first half and gave them chances. We need to turn the screw there.”

Wales Coach Warren Gatland was positive despite seeing his side slip to an eighth consecutive defeat: “I was pleased with how we soaked up a lot of pressure. In the final analysis there wasn’t much between the teams.

“I thought at times we were fantastic, and we played a good off-loading game and caused England problems. I don’t think England will go through this competition unbeaten, so if we can win the next two games, hopefully that puts us back into contention for the championship.”






Time:

04:47


Credit:

BBC

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles

  • 76 WEEKS AGO

    Breaking down the greatest year of international...

  • 258 WEEKS AGO

    scottish prop saves fire victim

  • 261 WEEKS AGO

    New Rugby X tournament insane



ADVERTISEMENT

Great Tries

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    WATCH: Outlandish Jacob Stockdale finish is truly world class

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Ulster denied THE GREATEST URC try you will ever see!

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Capuozzo break sets Dupont up for hatrick on return

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Fans praise 'Dom Perignon Rugby' as Irish players prepare for final match of South African tour

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Harlequins winger heralded as the next big England breakthrough after weekend's performance

View All

Big Hits & Dirty Play

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    'Cheap shot' from Leicester Tigers vs Northampton Saints causing a stir online

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Wild moment leads to all in brawl during Welsh derby between Cardiff and Scarlets

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    South African school boy makes the greatest tackle ever

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Huge guillotine tackle divides fans in viral footage

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Fans call for Stuart Hogg to face punishment after altercation involving ball boy

View All

See It To Believe It

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Insane moment as french backrow waves off medic and smokes Ange Capuozzo

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible drop goal helps break 25-match losing streak

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Leinster fly half delivers insane 50:22 after being given start for Emerging Ireland

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    French scrumhalf drills perfect shot at goal under outrageous circumstances

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Siya Kolisi makes young fans' day as he arrives at Cape Town school

View All

Funnies

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Jonny Sexton: 'Fondest memory of the Heineken Cup in 2011?' - 'Gordon D'Arcy's bar' and 'Coppers'

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Watch: Mike Haley's post match interaction with RG Snyman leaves no doubt about where Munster players stand

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    The rugby guy and Mack Hansen drop an all time BANGER with latest video

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    ‘Pitch is made of concrete’ - Fan provides much needed update following half time incident

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    'I have win!' Mathieu Raynal's hilarious player interaction caught on ref mic

View All

Amateur

  • 94 WEEKS AGO

    You Won’t See Many Better Than This Silky-Smooth Try From Llandovery RFC

  • 95 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes As Caldy RFC Hand Ealing First Championship Defeat Of The Season

  • 118 WEEKS AGO

    Dubious Score Decides Result Of Rugby's Biggest Schools Fixture

  • 118 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes At School Boys Rugby Match

  • 118 WEEKS AGO

    The Next Dominant Backrow?

View All

Player Features

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Louis Rees-Zammit opens up about his biggest shock in chasing NFL dream

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    'It's been an honour' - Wales legend retires from international rugby

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Jonny Sexton: 'Fondest memory of the Heineken Cup in 2011?' - 'Gordon D'Arcy's bar' and 'Coppers'

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    'It's been horrible' - Wales captain to miss Autumn Nations

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    'It was an easy decision for me' - Saints star commits to future

View All