Owen Farrell’s kicking game was not enough in Cardiff and Eddie Jones missed a trick in ignoring the Leicester fly-half
England had a plan B against Wales – the problem was it stayed on the bench. Owen Farrell is one of the best fly-halves in the world, if not the best, but everyone has off days and he just did not seem to have a feel for the game. We did not see adaptability from England – if one thing is not working, then try something else – and George Ford could have made all the difference.
Do not get me wrong, England have a very strong game-plan. It is based around kicking, it suits the way they play, it suits their strong defence, set piece and power, everyone buys into it and it is their way of winning Six Nations matches. I understand exactly what they are trying to do but you need an ability to say, ‘You know what, our kicking hasn’t been on point’ – it is not going to be 100% of the time – and you look to what else you have in the bag. With 15-20 minutes to go it was time to bring Ford on and try something different to unlock the Wales defence.
Related: England left with plenty to work on after Wales rise to the occasion | Robert Kitson
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