Both teams produced a momentous match where the England flanker Joe Worsley produced a heroic defensive effort, marshalling Wales dangerman Jamie Roberts with a series of rib rattling tackles but it all proved in vain as Stephen Jones boot and a try by Leigh Halfpenny sent England back over the Severn Bridge empty handed.
Wales had the best possible start when they opened the scoring in the third minute when England players entered a ruck from the side. Jones had no difficulty in knocking over the three-pointer.
Nick Easter was then penalised for interfering with Mike Phillips at a ruck but 20-year-old winger Leigh Halfpenny sent the long range penalty narrowly wide.
The match was only 15 minutes old before referee Jonathan Kaplan issued the first yellow card of the evening. Mike Tindall was penalised for playing the ball on the ground. To add insult to injury, Jones added another three points with his second success.
Phil Vickery was then penalised at a scrum for not binding and Halfpenny made no mistake with this second attempt at goal to give Wales a 9-0 lead after 21mins.
England then scored a try out of nothing when still down to 14 men. Riki Flutey danced his way through the Welsh defence before Lee Mears took the ball on. Goode then chipped over the rearguard and Paul Sackey won the footrace against Mark Jones to score wide out to bring the score to 9-5.
England crept to within a point in the 30th minute when Goode, who was becoming an influential figure for the red rose brigade, banged over a drop goal.
Both teams through everything at each for the remainder of the first half but the home side managed to hold on to their narrow lead going into the break.
Jones increased Wales lead just two minutes after the re-start when Goode was the second Englishman to see yellow, this time for sealing off the ball carrier after making the tackle.
Goode’s departure had an instant impact with forwards Adam Jones and Matthew Rees combining well before Stephen Jones and Lee Byrne joined forces to send Halfpenny speeding down the touchline to score without having a finger laid on him.
Back to full strength, with Toby Flood replacing Goode, England continued to transgress when the backs were caught offside. Jones landed his fourth penalty to take Wales out to a 20-8 lead.
England bounced back when Delon Armitage threw a dummy and brushed past Matthew Rees to dive under the posts to give Flood an easy conversion to bring Steve Borthwick’s side to within a single score.
With 15 minutes to go the game could have gone either way. Both teams then employed a kicking game waiting for a mistake. Eventually it was England who cracked when replacement Tom Croft put his hands in a ruck. Jones stepped up to give Wales an eight point cushion.
Flood had an opportunity to immediately hit back but he fluffed his penalty. Ian Gough typified Wales staunch defence with a massive hit on Hartley in the dying stages as England fought vainly to make inroads.
Scorers: Wales – Try: Halfpenny; Pens: Stephen Jones (5), Halfpenny.
England: Tries: Sackey, Armitage; Con: Flood; DG: Goode
