England's strength runs deep

Wales 9 England 43England's management must decide where their priorities lie. Even in Cardiff on Saturday night Clive Woodward was already wavering when asked if he planned recalling some bigger names for this weekend's evening rendez-vous with France in Marseille. "I'm not sure," he repeated twice, allowing himself an unusually enigmatic smile.

For all England's latest beating of Wales, there is no question that Woodward would swap victory by a record margin in Cardiff for a win of any hue on the Mediterranean coast. A little voice in the coach's head will be reminding him of the psychological benefits of turning over a full-strength French team and, by extension, stretching England's unbeaten run to 15 games, two short of the world record.

Instead of waiting until Twickenham a week later, why not unleash his first-choice men now? Woodward also knows, though, players like Austin Healey, Iain Balshaw and Paul Grayson are all gagging for a game, which suggests a degree of compromise, possibly with Neil Back as captain, when the team is announced in Aix-en-Provence tomorrow. Three players - Dan Luger, Mark Regan and Alex King - have slight knocks but should all recover. On this evidence, Wales's bruised pride will take much longer to heal.

Considering not a single member of England's supposed first-choice XV was required, this ranked among Wales's darkest hours. If a day-trip to Monte Carlo is an option for England later this week, Welsh rugby looks bust with the World Cup less than seven weeks away. Only the fact England's left-footed kicker was the more fallible King rather than Jonny Wilkinson prevented an even bigger slaughter and the strength in depth, particularly within England's pack, is now scary.

The lock and scrumhalf positions are cases in point. Simon Shaw had a colossal match but may still find himself surplus to requirements, as could Andy Gomarsall if Healey turns it on in Marseille. The Gloucester man, nevertheless, responded superbly to urgings from the management to impose himself more at international level, albeit from an armchair position behind England's remorseless forwards.

To pick too long at individual English flaws would be to ignore, in turn, the collective effort which yielded five tries, particularly once the forwards emerged with renewed vigour from what Woodward called "a pretty angry changing room" after half-time. Luger, Joe Worsley, the debutant Stuart Abbott and Dorian West all went over to capitalise on a first-half score from Lewis Moody and, although King missed five penalties and a conversion, the pressure rarely slackened.

The Welsh front row, in particular, took a real pounding in the scrums. Perhaps they should blame one of Wales's true greats JPR Williams, who was the surgeon who operated on Julian White's badly broken ankle at a time when Leicester's new signing was a Bridgend player barely known in English rugby. In JPR's heyday they used to boast that Wales's second team could beat England; now the opposite is literally true.

This result, among other consequences, also drew England level with Wales on 49 wins apiece since the countries first met in 1881. At this rate it could be decades before Wales reach their half-century; by the time Will Green replaced White in the English front row, Wales were the subject of more black-edged funeral notices in the press box.

Their coach Steve Hansen keeps stressing there is no quick fix but, for all his bullish qualities, 10 straight Test defeats is a gruesome statistic. Some prefer basking on a yacht on the Riviera but, for Woodward's achievers, there is nothing to beat the sparkling River Taff on days like this.

WALES: R Williams; M Jones, M Taylor, S Parker, Gareth Thomas; S Jones, G Cooper; I Thomas, R McBryde (G Williams 61), G Jenkins (A Jones 71), R Sidoli, C Wyatt (J Thomas 62), C Charvis, M Williams, D Jones (Gavin Thomas 71).

ENGLAND: D Scarbrough; J Simpson-Daniel, J Noon, S Abbott, D Luger; A King (Walder, 72), A Gomarsall; J Leonard, M Regan (West 38), J White (Green 72), D Grewcock, S Shaw, M Corry, L Moody (Sanderson 62), J Worsley (Wasps).

Referee: P Deluca (Argentina).