England's final phase of World Cup preparation got off to a disappointing start as Wales handed them a 20-9 defeat in Cardiff.
During the second half, Gareth Davies and George North scored tries to prevent Wales from experiencing their fifth consecutive home loss. The defeat left England's head coach, Steve Borthwick, with much to contemplate as he had less than 48 hours before announcing his World Cup squad.
While a few players showed glimpses of brilliance, overall, there were not many standout performances. Fly-half Marcus Smith and number eight Alex Dombrandt had some impressive moments, but Wales responded excellently to turn around a three-point deficit at halftime.
England's ball-retention was abysmal, leading to a massive 22 turnovers, which Wales capitalized on effectively. Full-back Leigh Halfpenny, on his 100th cap, converted both tries and added two penalties, while Marcus Smith contributed three first-half penalties for England's points.
With England's opening World Cup match against Argentina only five weeks away, there is no need for panic according to Steve Borthwick, as they still have three warm-up matches scheduled in August.
The victory was a crucial confidence boost for Wales, who finished fifth in the last season's Six Nations and managed to secure just their third win in the last 11 Tests.
Leigh Halfpenny led the Wales team onto the field, with all players wearing black armbands as a tribute to former Wales captain and coach Clive Rowlands, who passed away at the age of 85 last weekend.
Wales suffered an early setback as hooker Ryan Elias had to leave the field due to an injury to his right leg. Elliot Dee of the Dragons came in as his replacement.
An early long-range penalty from Marcus Smith put England ahead, capitalizing on their initial dominance with control over possession and territory, putting Wales on the defensive.
Smith added to the lead with another penalty after Wales was penalized for scrummaging, but Leigh Halfpenny's kick brought the score to 6-3 by the end of the first quarter, which was filled with intent but also marred by errors.
Wales' fly-half Sam Costelow created the game's first clear-cut opportunity when his inside pass freed wing Louis Rees-Zammit, but unfortunately, he slipped when he had a chance to score.
Warren Gatland's team improved as the first half went on, and Halfpenny leveled the score with a penalty in the 26th minute.
England responded with some clever play from Smith, creating space for center Joe Marchant, and wing Joe Cokanasiga was tackled into touch near the corner-flag.
Despite conceding 12 turnovers in the first half, England remained in control, while Wales faced scrummaging challenges with debutant props Corey Domachowski and Keiron Assiratti.
Smith added another penalty to give England a 9-6 lead at halftime, but they knew they needed to sharpen their attack in the second half.
Wales provided the spark they needed just eight minutes into the second half. A kick from Costelow found number eight Aaron Wainwright, who made a one-handed pass to captain Jac Morgan. Morgan brushed off challenges from Cokanasiga and replacement Jonny Hill before passing to Gareth Davies for a try.
Halfpenny's conversion extended Wales' lead to four points before Gatland made four changes.
The substitutions included debutants Taine Plumtree and former England prop Henry Thomas, who qualified to play for Wales through his father under new World Rugby regulations.
Both teams made further changes in the third quarter, and Wales continued to dominate the second half. George North scored the team's second try, and England found themselves 11 points behind entering the final quarter of the match.
In the closing minutes, Wales came close to adding a third try, but unfortunately, Louis Rees-Zammit knocked on the ball behind the line under pressure from England full-back Freddie Steward.
However, the real impact of the match had already been made, setting the stage for the return fixture at Twickenham next Saturday.
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