'We took all our food and put it on their plate'

England v Wales Reaction: Two coaches, two dressing-rooms, one half-time interval and on the resumption of hostilities a Six Nations match that was turned on its head in an astonishing reversal of fortune.

England led 16-6 and would not have been flattered by a 20-point advantage such was their dominance.

Coach Brian Ashton explained what he emphasised at that point. "One of our key messages before the game was not to feed them. Instead we took all our food out of the cupboard and put it on their plate. It is difficult to understand what happened. We need to sit down and talk about it. The lack of composure is a concern."

Down the corridor, Warren Gatland, in his first game in charge, was trying to rally a bedraggled and beleaguered Wales, who had largely been a liability to themselves in possession and were staring at a probable Twickenham thumping to rival the worst in a 20-year losing streak at the venue.

So what did he say?

"I told them to go out and play rugby - we hadn't played any at that point - and to not kick away the ball aimlessly. We hadn't fired a shot yet were somehow only 10 points behind.

"We needed to hang onto the football. I was so disappointed with the first half; we didn't respect the ball. I thought we were really poor with too many turnovers, (the) kicking wasn't great and when we had opportunities to move the ball, we didn't. We were conscious of trying to get something on the scoreboard and to be able to score a couple of tries was the pleasing thing because we could have easily been out of the game at half-time. As the game went on I think we got stronger and the guys got a bit of self-belief and confidence.

"We regrouped. Rugby is not just about the technical. It's up here (head), in there (heart) down there (guts). It's about the top two inches, mental toughness; and we never gave in. I think the guys off the bench made a big impact. Gethin Jenkins was outstanding; Tom Shanklin did well while Gavin Henson came into the game. His (Henson's) Achilles was tight in the first half and he contemplated coming off at half-time.

"We've got a lot of work to do but hopefully we'll get better as this competition goes on. It doesn't happen overnight. Physically, we've got a lot of work to do."

It was a particular poignant day for Gatland's assistant, Shaun Edwards, not just in opposing the country of his birth and some of the players he coaches daily at Wasps. Saturday would have been the 25th birthday of his late brother, Billy Joe. He explained: "It is a very difficult day for me and my family but thankfully these guys from Wales have put a smile on my mum's face on a very difficult day for her."

Ashton, for his part, tried to be philosophical. "It would very easy for me to sit here and try to find a way to hide behind those injuries for what happened in the second half but I am not going to do that.

"I still think we had enough experienced players on the field to direct operations in the second half. Wales did exceptionally well to come back after half-time but I am not sure they had to work exceptionally hard for their tries. In the first half England played as well as they have for some years. If we could have sustained our first-half performance I wouldn't be sitting here talking about a defeat."