ENGLAND
Iain Balshaw 6/10
Club: Gloucester Caps: 31
Some bright moments, but his charge-down kick led to the winning Welsh try in the dramatic fi nale
Paul Sackey 6/10
Club: Wasps Caps: 11
Clearly on good form, and rather unlucky to have a try ruled out by the television match offi cial
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Mike Tindall 7/10
Club: Gloucester Caps: 54
It was sad to see him carried off, because his strength had given England a focal point they lacked in the World Cup
Toby Flood 7/10
Club: Newcastle Caps: 13
First half was probably his best half for England, but could make no more impression after the interval
David Strettle 6/10
Club: Harlequins Caps: 5
It was a great sorrow for his supporters that one trademark dazzling run ironically led to the injury which saw him limp off
Jonny Wilkinson 4/10
Club: Newcastle Caps: 66
He kicked his goals well, but provided very little else as a midfi eld general and his game collapsed towards the end
Andy Gomarsall 7/10
Club: Harlequins Caps: 34
The scrum-half was not a threat with the ball in hand but he was lively and should not shoulder the blame
Andrew Sheridan 7/10
Club: Sale Caps: 21
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He probably made less impact in the scrum than was expected but had an excellent game in the loose
Mark Regan 5/10
Club: Bristol Caps: 44
His nuisance value was well below normal, and he may be fortunate to be chosen again for Rome
Phil Vickery 8/10
Club: Wasps Caps: 61
For a long time, this was the England captain at his best, and he ran like a combination of a bull and spring chicken
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Simon Shaw 7/10
Club: Wasps Caps: 44
Another man to whom blame would be unworthy. He was lively and England's leading source of possession
Steve Borthwick 7/10
Club: Bath Caps: 33
Nothing with which to reproach himself, because he was prominent in the lineout and once made a terrifi c defensive save
James Haskell 8/10
Club: Wasps Caps: 3
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The heart bled for him, he was the one England player to fi nish the match as well as he had started it
Lewis Moody 6/10
Club: Leicester Caps: 53
Another disastrous injury intrusion. Will the fl anker ever get a long run free of the doctor?
Luke Narraway 6/10
Club: Gloucester Caps: 1
Certainly some brighter moments, although at this level the lack of power may tell in the end
Replacements 6/10
There was not so much a strategy as a panic reinforcement as the injury toll grew and grew, putting Ben Kay on the blind side
WALES
Lee Byrne 8/10
Club: Ospreys Caps: 15
The coming man. He was excellent under pressure and even better when Wales burst out in the second half
Shane Williams 5/10
Club: Ospreys Caps: 52
His lone dashes were often a greater danger to Wales than England. It is unlikely that his coaches will be patient
Sonny Parker 5/10
Club: Ospreys Caps: 28
Extremely lucky to start ahead of Tom Shanklin, and made very little impact in the midfi eld
Gavin Henson 6/10
Club: Ospreys Caps: 24
He finally picked up the pace of the match rather late on, although until then he appeared to be sluggish
Mark Jones 7/10
Club: Scarlets Caps: 36
He did well to recover his senses after Vainikolo's trailing arm caught him, and he performed with credit
James Hook 7/10
Club: Ospreys Caps: 21
A marvellous shimmy to produce the try for Byrne was typical of a performance of cool authority
Michael Phillips 8/10
Club: Ospreys Caps: 29
Hardly seen at all in the fi rst half, and then he strode the second half like some kind of Dragon colossus
Duncan Jones 5/10
Club: Ospreys Caps: 46
Another man fortunate to start, and compared to the men opposite, his involvement did not seem to be high
Huw Bennett 6/10
Club: Ospreys Caps: 15
Worth a worthwhile afternoon, not least for laying an arm underneath the ball to deny Sackey a try in the fi rst-half
Adam Jones 7/10
Club: Ospreys Caps: 45
For holding on against Sheridan and giving Wales at least some kind of platform, he deserves major credit
Ian Gough 7/10
Club: Ospreys Caps: 46
The nearest thing to Simon Shaw in the Welsh team and he gave the Welsh pack a heart
Alun-Wyn Jones 6/10
Club: Ospreys Caps: 19
Until his departure as part of the injury torrent, he held up extremely well in the middle of the lineout
Jonathan Thomas 6/10
Club: Ospreys Caps: 40
His sad departure robbed Wales of one of their brighter forwards and, if Wilkinson is cited, could rob England of their fl y-half
Martyn Williams 7/10
Club: Blues Caps: 77
Like so many others, he took his time arriving at the party, but enjoyed himself when he made it
Ryan Jones 8/10
Club: Ospreys Caps: 17
A considerable advance towards a career high, because the Welsh captain was a port in a storm for his men
Replacements 8/10
Almost every player Wales brought on made a major impact on proceedings, as everything that Warren Gatland touched turned to gold