Six Nations 2015: England Player Ratings vs. Wales in Cardiff

England banished the ghost of their humiliating Six Nations defeat to Wales in 2013 with a convincing 21-16 win over the Red Dragons in Cardiff to kick off this year's campaign.

Down 16-8 at the interval, England scored 13 unanswered points in a second half they completely dominated. George Ford was named man of the match in his first Six Nations start, but who else had a standout game for England?

All ratings are out of 10.

Joe Marler: As ever, he was accomplished in the scrum and at ruck time, and he was unlucky to be substituted. 8

Dylan Hartley: Two line-outs went astray from England’s usually dependable thrower, and the adrenaline of the occasion also meant he gave away penalties going on isolated runs without the support of the rest of the pack. 6

Dan Cole: Back from serious injury lay-offs, he won two penalties against Gethin Jenkins at the scrum but gave two away unnecessarily at the ruck. Cole has plenty of ability, but he will need to tighten his discipline to keep his place ahead of England’s best player of 2014, David Wilson, who missed the game through injury. 7

Dave Attwood: He's lost his barnstorming early-season form with Bath but didn’t let England down in Cardiff. 7

George Kruis: His costly drop metres from England’s line gave Wales the scrum from which Taulupe Faletau fed Rhys Webb to open the scoring. Had Wales capitalised on that early start, Kruis, whose defence was weak in the autumn, would have come under more scrutiny. 6

James Haskell: A fine performance from the Wasps captain: full of heart, energy and skill. Much more effective than the usual incumbent of the No. 6 jersey, Tom Wood. 8

Chris Robshaw: England’s work-hungry captain outperformed his opposite number, Sam Warburton, over the ball, and his leadership was crucial to England not folding despite being 10-0 down within 10 minutes. Memories of 2013 would have been returning, but Robshaw made sure England exorcised them. 8

Billy Vunipola: Vunipola was more effective than he was in his outings for England in the autumn, but he was unable to offload or break out of tackles—his primary purpose as the ball-carrying back-rower. 7

Ben Youngs: Youngs is developing a nice relationship with fly-half George Ford, building on their days together at Leicester Tigers. He was snappy around the ruck and kicked well. 8

George Ford: In truth, the official RBS Man of the Match had a mixed game. Kicks were charged down, and he missed one relatively straightforward kick at goal. His kicking from hand was up to his usual high standards, for the most part, and he kept his cool in the cauldron of Cardiff. 7.5

Luther Burrell: Largely an anonymous figure, Burrell, like most of the backs, did not profit during what was a forward-dominated game. However, he was solid when called upon. 6.5

Jonathan Joseph: Joseph made two telling contributions to the match. In the first half, he picked a great line off George Ford and almost made a clean break. Wales didn’t heed the warning, and Joseph danced through four tackles, including dummying a basketball pass, to kick-start England’s dominant second half (see video above). 8

Jonny May: May conceded an early penalty and struggled to get into the game. 6

Anthony Watson: England’s best player in the first half, Watson caught and ran with a confidence that belied his inexperience. On his fifth cap, he skilfully gathered Mike Brown’s grubber kick to score a crucial try when England were 10-0 down. 8.5

Mike Brown: The Player of the 2014 Six Nations had another strong game for England in Cardiff. Brown ran hard, caught well and alleviated the pressure on George Ford with his big left boot. 8