How did England manage to lose a 16 - 6 lead at half time to come out 19 - 26 down? England fans everywhere, and probably the players as well, will scratch their heads over this one. How many of us actually switched channels five minutes from the end in frustration I wonder (I did - well actually I went off the make the tea!)

It was though at half time the teams went in and came out with each others shirts on. The tables turned straight away. Admittedly England suffered bad injury loss for one match with Strettle, Rees, Moody having to leave the field and Mike Tindall being carried off on a stretcher. Not a good match for poor Luke Harraway to start his England career with.

I felt a bit sorry for Iain Balshaw who admittedly made some real howlers - but he worked hard and gave it his all - he just didn't make the mark. Even Jonny had occasions when he wasn't his normal precise self with a very loose pass which resulted in a Welsh try.

Wales (also known as The Ospreys) on the other hand, played like a Sunday morning team to start with. I don't what Shaun Edwards and Warren Gatland (Welsh through and through!!!) said to the boys in red at the half time break, but they came out  into the second half and marmalised England into a 26 - 19 defeat. Amazing!

It was an interesting debut for Lesley Vainikolo who showed a strong presence on the left wing after David Strettle went of with an injured ankle within the first 10 minutes. His work rate was high and Mark Jones was lucky not to be smashed into space early in the match as Vainikolo launched himself at the Welsh back. But huge power is only effective if it is on target, and he went flying over the top of him as Jones simply ducked out of the way. Pantomine!


For Wales, Lee Byrne, James Hook and Mike Phillips put in magnificent second half performances - Gavin Henson showed some of his old form and England were simply left wanting. James Haskell put in a strong first half performance, totally showing his worth, but it was a silly penalty conceded by him which lead to the Welsh revival.

Another sad day for Engand Rugby but a great win for Wales who have waited 20 years to beat England at Twickenham. With Grand Slam hopes now gone, England face the task of pulling out all the stops and going for the championship. A thought - remember a 36-0 loss against South Africa in the World Cup?

England: Iain Balshaw (Gloucester), Paul Sackey (Wasps), Mike Tindall (Gloucester), Toby Flood (Newcastle), David Strettle (Harlequins), Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle), Andy Gomarsall (Harlequins); Andrew Sheridan (Sale), Mark Regan (Bristol), Phil Vickery (capt, Wasps), Simon Shaw (Wasps), Steve Borthwick (Bath), James Haskell (Wasps), Lewis Moody (Leicester), Luke Narraway (Gloucester).
Replacements: Lee Mears (Bath), Matt Stevens (Bath), Ben Kay (Leicester), Tom Rees (Wasps), Richard Wigglesworth (Sale), Dan Cipriani (Wasps), Lesley Vainikolo (Gloucester).

Wales: Lee Byrne (Ospreys); Shane Williams (Ospreys), Sonny Parker (Ospreys), Gavin Henson (Ospreys), Mark Jones (Scarlets); James Hook (Ospreys), Mike Phillips (Ospreys); Duncan Jones (Ospreys), Huw Bennett (Ospreys), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Ian Gough (Ospreys), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Jonathan Thomas (Ospreys), Martyn Williams (Blues), Ryan Jones (capt, Ospreys).
Replacements: Matthew Rees (Scarlets), Gethin Jenkins (Blues), Ian Evans (Ospreys), Alix Popham (Scarlets), Gareth Cooper (Gloucester), Stephen Jones (Scarlets), Tom Shanklin (Blues).

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