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As I type I am a little worse for wear, having partied long into the night, got in at stupid-o'clock this a.m. and have just (by some miracle) reffed an under 12's match without vomiting on the pitch!
Well, where to start? I take my hat off to England, they were magnificent. All the cliche's I posted earlier about new coach, inexperienced players etc went right out the window. To a man they played with an intensity, passion and confidence that bore no reflection of their supposed inexperience.
For a man who doesn't usually play 10, Farrell performed as if he was born to it.
Bar the first two minutes, England nullified the threat of George North to the point where he was barely mentioned, which is no small feat. It was only stout defence and a try (possibly match) saving tackle by Warburton that saw Wales through. I certainly never thought I'd see Courtney Lawes stripped so easily of the ball. At first glance, watching it in real time I thought Strettle had scored, but all the replays proved inconclusive. I daresay it'll be debated for a long time but it was impossible to make a firm decision that it was a try. Would have been a tough test for Flood to kick that conversion too for a tied match!
Rhys Priestland was way below par but Wales clung on by their fingertips and a win is a win so we'll take it, especially at Fortress Twickers.
Well done both teams for a hard fought and at times brutal encounter, it was a fantastic advert for the game of rugby and England can hold their heads high, Lancaster has got a fresh young team that have a great future ahead of them.