The first clash between the revived Wales side and England was much anticipated amongst Welsh RL circles, and a steamy game in front of a sizeable and partisan crowd confirmed the value of the home international scene. Wales showed plenty of willingness for the fight but were ultimately unable to master the class of their opponents.

The slippery surface made for a tough encounter on both sides. Wales went into the game missing Davies who was recovering from a groin operation, and they got off to a disastrous start. Cordle was taken off with a fractured jaw soon after kick off and after Crooks got England off the mark with a penalty, they were to strike a double whammy with the crafty scrum-half Mike Ford instigating tries for Hanley and Spruce. With 15 minutes gone Wales were 12-0 down.

Allan Bateman sparked the fightback with a thumping tackle on Stuart Spruce which saw the England fullback spill the ball; John Griffiths on hand to take maximum advantage. Mark Jones drove over in the left corner and Kevin Ellis added a quick drop goal to send the Welsh support into frenzy. 12-11.

The turning point of the game however came on the stroke of half time. Anthony Sullivan made a mess of a Hanley kick and Lee Crooks scored a massive psychological advantage by extending the English lead in time for the break.

That heralded the English domination. With the experienced heads Gary Schofield and Ellery Hanley controlling the game, Mike Ford was able to launch the England backs on an unanswered four try scoring spree in the second half with Martin Offiah crossing for his obligatory try double.

Source: WalesRL.co.uk

Contributions: Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson