On his 100th Wales appearance, Leigh Halfpenny kicked 10 points, alongside tries from Gareth Davies and George North.
Jac Morgan’s first game as captain went well, and Marcus Smith made three penalties for England.
On Monday, head coach Steve Borthwick will announce his final 33-man World Cup team, but Warren Gatland of Wales will have to wait a few more weeks.
Gatland had pledged that Wales would “surprise people” and “do something special” at the World Cup after a disappointing season.
Despite the fact that it is still early, this performance gave cause for optimism before the return warm-up match at Twickenham next Saturday.
Aaron Wainwright was outstanding at number eight, and Wales’ first-half performance will be remembered for its tenacious defensive effort, with center North playing a critical role in keeping England from scoring two tries.
Borthwick will be concerned that England was unable to capitalize on their first-half dominance and that they enabled the hosts to come back in the second half by committing 22 turnovers.
Few players from England will have made an impression given that this was their penultimate opportunity to shine before Borthwick unveils his final decision.The majority of the players on the England team, according to the head coach, have already been selected, leaving “one or two places” open.
With flanker Tom Pearson making his professional debut and uncapped forwards Theo Dan and Tom Willis coming off the bench, Borthwick decided to rest key players and give opportunities to fresh faces.
Harlequins half-backs Danny Care and Marcus Smith started knowing they will almost certainly travel, while wing Joe Cokanasiga and center Joe Marchant were hoping to impress. Borthwick has said he will take three scrum-halves and three fly-halves to France.
Borthwick will be troubled by how England missed two attacking line-outs and failed to capitalize on a few opportunities.
They may have a finalized World Cup roster earlier than most, but they will need to establish a unique playing style before the competition in France.
Full-back At least Freddie Steward demonstrated his dominance under the high ball in Cardiff, just as he had in the Six Nations game in February.
Wales, in contrast to England, will play three exhibition games. Gatland revealed last week that he only knew one member of his squad and that spots were up for grabs. He is expected to reveal the rest of his team after the final match against South Africa.Wales had lost nine of its previous 12 games during a tumultuous year, and Gatland was brought back for a second term in Wayne Pivac’s stead.
After finishing sixth in the Six Nations, experienced players Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, Rhys Webb, and Ken Owens were lost, and there was off-the-field drama with players threatening to walk out over contractual injuries.
Gatland has spoken changing the unfavorable perception of Welsh rugby, and he will be hoping that this victory is the first step in that direction.
The Cardiff props Corey Domachowski and Keiron Assiratti, as well as center Max Llewellyn, made their Test debuts after hard training camps in Turkey and Switzerland.
The prop pair battled in the scrums throughout the first half, giving up three set-piece penalties between them, but Gatland believes some of the decisions made against them were unfair.
Taine Plumtree, a winger, and Henry Thomas, a former England prop, both made their debuts for Wales and did well.
Fly-half In his maiden game, Sam Costelow threatened the English defense by almost releasing Louis Rees-Zammit for a try in the opening period. Wing Rees-Zammit came close to scoring a magnificent individual try but was also denied a late try.
Scarlets scrum-half Davies also scored a try as a result of Costelow’s deft cross-kick. After gaining control of the ball, Aaron Wainwright passed it to Morgan, who then set up Davies for the goal.
The fly-half may have struggled under the high ball on a few occasions, but it will be counterbalanced by his attacking prowess, which will give Dan Biggar and Gareth Anscombe, who have experience, further alternatives.
Wales started the game with a minute of applause in memory of Clive Rowlands, a legend who passed away last Sunday at the age of 85. He made his debut against England in 1963 and was the only man to lead, captain, and manage Wales.In what was essentially the first of three World Cup leadership auditions, flanker Morgan, who had previously played junior rugby for Rowlands’ hometown of Cwmtwrch, led Wales for the first time 60 years earlier.
Biggar, Dewi Lake, Will Rowlands, and Adam Beard are all contenders for the captaincy, but 23-year-old Morgan stood out against England, particularly in the second half, along with Wainwright, who proved there is a number eight option besides the injured Taulupe Faletau.
He was a key contributor to Wales’ first try for North and made a devastating second-half tackle on Pearson’s opposite number.
But Morgan did not lead the side out. Halfpenny, a fullback, earned that distinction after being the ninth person to represent Wales in 100 international matches, over 15 years after making his debut.
Alun Wyn Jones, Gethin Jenkins, North, Biggar, Stephen Jones, Gareth Thomas, Martyn Williams, and Faletau were among others who came before him.
Injury issues were bound to arise, and Wales’ hooker Ryan Elias and lock Dafydd Jenkins will give Gatland pause.Elias suffered a hamstring injury and had to leave the game after only six minutes. Due to an Achilles issue, he already missed the Six Nations.
Elliot Dee, Lake, and Sam Parry are the three hookers left on the roster while another Scarlets hooker, Owens, has already been ruled out of at least the tournament group stages due to a back issue.
After Jenkins hobbled off in the second half, there was a significant reorganization that resulted in Mason Grady moving from the center to the back row because all of the forward replacements had already been used before North shifted to the side.
Nevertheless, Wales continued to play well, and Grady came close to scoring on his very first touch before being stopped by England captain Ellis Genge in the corner.
Wales’ second-half performance was characterized by resourcefulness, which led to their victory.
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