Wales player ratings vs England as Steve Tandy's men started their 2026 Six Nations with a huge defeat.
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Wales were left nursing another bruising afternoon as England ripped through them in a remorseless 48–7 Six Nations defeat at Allianz Stadium.
The visitors were blown away before the break, undone by a rampant Henry Arundell who — making his first England start in more than two years — exposed Welsh frailties out wide to claim a crushing first-half hat-trick.
There was a brief moment of resistance five minutes after the restart when Josh Adams finished well from Dan Edwards’ perfectly weighted kick, but it did little to change the direction of travel. England quickly shut the door again, the contest slipping further out of Welsh reach as the one-way traffic continued and Wales were left simply trying to survive.
Scroll down for Wales player ratings vs England.
ENGLAND: 48
- Tries: Arundell (7', 18', 35'), Earl (23'), Roebuck (44'), Penalty (66'), Freeman (79')
- Cons: Ford (8', 24', 36', 45')
- Pens: Ford (2')
WALES: 7
- Tries: Adams (51')
- Cons: D Edwards (52')
- Pens:
Wales player ratings vs England:
15. Louis Rees-Zammit – 5.5
Playing his first game as an international at Twickenham, the 25-year-old did not get off to the best of starts after his attempted clearance kick was charged down by Sam Underhill, which then led to England breaking the deadlock.
He worked incredibly well under the high ball, with the standout moment coming after fielding a testing spiral kick from Ford inside his own 22. He tried to work his magic with ball in hand, but it was not happening for the full-back.
14. Ellis Mee – 5
Perhaps Wales’ most in-form winger at the moment, his main highlights were his strength in the air, which was on show early in the contest as he forced the hosts into an error that resulted in a penalty.
He was guilty of defending narrowly at times, allowing England to get over the gainline with ease. He was replaced early in the second half by Mason Grady.
13. Eddie James – 5
Starting for the first time since last February against Italy in Rome, James could not get going in the contest, partly due to spending 10 minutes off the field following Lake’s yellow card.
He appeared to be Wales’ main ball carrier in the backline but hardly touched the ball throughout.
12. Ben Thomas – 2
There were plenty of questions raised around the decision to play Thomas at inside centre, and he did little to help his case after gifting Henry Arundell his hat-trick with an aimless pass.
It got worse for the Cardiff Rugby player when he was yellow-carded with the hosts metres from the line. Not the performance he would have wanted to silence his doubters.
11. Josh Adams – 5
The Cardiff Rugby winger, who scored in his last outing for Wales against Japan in November, made little impact on the contest.
He became more involved in the second half, though that appeared to come through desperation. Despite getting on the scoresheet, it was a frustrating afternoon, and he was largely a spectator in a torrid outing in the English capital.
10. Dan Edwards – 4
The new face of Wales’ backline, with just eight international appearances to his name, Edwards endured a tough afternoon. He was poor defensively and offered little with his kicks in behind, which too often appeared aimless.
9. Tomos Williams – 6
The Gloucester Rugby scrum-half had a quiet game but, out of the Wales XV, he was one of the few consistently looking to put his side on the front foot.
1. Nicky Smith – 3
Scrummaging against his Leicester Tigers teammate Joe Heyes, Smith spent 10 minutes on the sidelines following an early drive at a lineout. This proved costly.
He offered little throughout and was replaced by Rhys Carré early in the second half.
2. Dewi Lake – 2
Captaining Wales due to Jac Morgan’s injury sustained in the autumn, Lake was unable to lead his side to a first victory in south-west London in 14 years.
He was yellow-carded before the end of the first quarter and looked absolutely clueless during Wales’ first genuine scoring opportunity just before half-time, failing to control the ball from a tap-and-go — uncharacteristic for the hooker.
3. Archie Griffin – 2
Starting his first Six Nations match and scrummaging against Ellis Genge, the 24-year-old struggled early on. He was penalised for changing his line to block Henry Arundell, which proved the catalyst for England’s opening score.
He was not strong at scrum time, failed to make much impact, and it came as no surprise when he was replaced by Tomas Francis after 50 minutes.
4. Dafydd Jenkins – 4.5
The Exeter Chiefs captain did little to catch the eye in a contest dominated by the hosts. He delivered a more disciplined performance and showed a higher work rate than during the autumn internationals, but it was still a difficult afternoon for the second row.
5. Adam Beard – 5
Beard played his first game in over a month for Montpellier last Saturday, which was also his first appearance of 2026. He was strong in defence and dependable at the lineout, but with England so dominant, it was hard to justify a higher rating.
He was replaced by Ben Carter with only minutes remaining.
6. Alex Mann – 5.5
The 24-year-old, who has started in all of Wales’ last six games, did not shy away from confrontation, particularly with Ellis Genge.
After landing some strong hits, his evening was cut short when he was replaced by Taine Plumtree.
7. Josh Macleod – 5
Despite having his name misspelt in Wales’ team announcement on Thursday morning, the Scarlets flanker started for the first time since Wales ended their torrid run of 18 straight Test defeats.
He worked well around the breakdown but at times lacked discipline on a day when nothing seemed to click.
8. Aaron Wainwright – 6.5
The Leicester Tigers-bound forward tried to get his side on the front foot throughout the contest, but with poor attacking play around him, Wales were unable to utilise Wainwright as much as they would have liked.
He was the standout performer in the forward pack through his carries alone.
Replacements
16. Liam Belcher – 3
17. Rhys Carré – 4
18. Tomas Francis – 5
19. Ben Carter – 4
20. Taine Plumtree – 2
21. Harri Deaves – 5
22. Kieran Hardy – 3
23. Mason Grady – 4
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