Wales 30 England 3: Six Nations title stays in Cardiff after ruthless Dragons shatter Grand Slam dreams with one-sided win

It began as a clash so close few were prepared to call the outcome.

But it ended in a rout as Wales not only deprived England of a first Grand Slam in a decade, but also ripped the RBS Six Nations title out of their hands.



This is not the first defeat Stuart Lancaster's England have tasted, but it is by far the worst - both in scoreline and in manner.



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Make mine a double: Two-try hero Alex Cuthbert celebrates with th Six Nations trophy after Wales crushd England to win back-to-back titles

It was a pummelling so painful that England's players will surely be haunted by it for some time.



Nothing must be taken away from Wales. They were superb from the first minute to the last, playing once more like the team that won the Slam last year and reached the World Cup semi-final 17 months ago.

Start the party: Alex Cuthbert's second try sparks jubilant scenes with teammates Dan Biggar (left) and Justin Tipuric

By the end, the Welsh margin of victory was the worst England have suffered since internationals between the two nations began in 1881. Wales's previous best was their 25-0 win, back in 1905.



England, save for some spirited first-half defending and particular defiance by captain Chris Robshaw, were blown away all too easily, suggesting that their development into a consistent, world-class team is some way off.

Breakaway: Alex Cuthbert avoids the attentions of Owen Farrell, going over for the opening try of the game

Two tries to nil does not even begin to tell the story.



England did well to score three points by the end, hammered in the tackle count, in turnovers, penalties conceded, possession, territory and in kicks at goal.

England have two years for the scars to heal before they meet the Welsh in their World Cup group. They will need it, too.

Dejection: Tom Wood and Geoff Parling (above) trudge forward after Cuthbert's second try, while Chris Robshaw and Tom Croft look rueful (below)

Short of Wales going for a second successive Grand Slam themselves, this showdown in Cardiff had every ingredient imaginable with three emphatic permutations all, supposedly, equally possible.

Among the crowd sat the British and Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland, taking a sabbatical as Wales head coach and viewing this almighty clash as a high-profile audition not only for seats on the plane for Australia in the summer, but for berths in the Test starting XV.

By 7pm, the Lions had taken on a positively Welsh slant.

Off-colour: Owen Farrell missed two penalties as England slumped to a painful defeat

For the 46 players involved, however, that would have to wait.



There were more pressing concerns for an England team that had stuttered to this appointment after seemingly having the title in their grasp, and for a Welsh team that ran out amid flares and dry ice with the momentum on the back of three wins.



For all England's advances in the past 14 months, this was the acid test for head coach Lancaster, his coaches and his team, who had set the Slam as their target when they assembled before the first weekend of the championship.

Vital: Mike Brown tackles George North

Predictably, Wales came at England from the first, bristling with purpose and sensing this could be another famous night.



Less predictably, the first half was an enthralling spectacle which Wales enjoyed far more, noticeably in the front row, where Adam Jones dominated, and with the boot, which saw Leigh Halfpenny hitting the target with all three penalties, while Owen Farrell saw his first effort rebound the right way off a post but a second skew wide.



England spent much of the half on the back foot, failing to punch holes in a Welsh defence that reached half-time having not conceded a try for 315 minutes.

Stronger set plays: Wales dominated in the lineout

England also missed tackles, noticeably Chris Ashton, and gave up penalties.

They would have settled for a six-point deficit at the break, especially when George North looked certain to score a 32nd-minute try from long range only to be felled by Mike Brown's tap tackle, and then Dan Biggar missed with a drop-goal attempt in the final play of the half.



It took four minutes after the break for England to make the necessary change.

Out of sorts: England captain Chris Robshaw saw his side's hopes of a Grand Slam well and truly dashed

On trundled Mako Vunipola to replace Marler to take on Adam Jones and his Tongan cousin, Toby Faletau, playing at the base of the Welsh pack.

In the 52nd minute a Halfpenny penalty stretched the Welsh lead to nine points after England had withstood a sustained period of Welsh pressure on their own line.

Learning curve: The defeat will be a painful experience for England coach Stuart Lancaster

Their defence could not keep this up, however. England wilted six minutes later when Ken Owens, on for Richard Hibbard, turned the ball over and the Gloucester-born Alex Cuthbert took advantage of a three-on-one overlap to race away to the corner.

Halfpenny failed with the tricky conversion but when Farrell missed again with a penalty he had to score on the hour the game, the title and the Slam was up.



All that was left was for Wales to finish the job, and with England looking ragged Wales moved in for the kill. Biggar's 65th-minute drop goal was ruthless, Cuthbert's second try of the night and the role played by man of the match Justin Tipuric in capitalising on a two-on-one simply sublime as Wales stepped up the gears.

A further Biggar penalty confirmed the slaughter.



The final whistle put England out of their abject misery.

Welsh fans chanted 'Easy, Easy' and all the shell-shocked English could do was stare hollow-eyed as Wales hoisted the trophy and began to celebrate.



VIDEO: Wales deliver a crushing defeat to England and end Grand-Slam dream



