England condemns sorry Wales to record 68-14 loss and stays in contention for Six Nations title

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England players celebrate as Joe Heyes touches down to score a try during the Six Nations rugby union match between Wales and England at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

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England’s Henry Pollock celebrates after England’s Joe Heyes scored a try during the Six Nations rugby union match between Wales and England at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

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England’s Chandler Cunningham-South catches the ball during the Six Nations rugby union match between Wales and England at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

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England’s Chandler Cunningham-South, center, is caught in a maul during the Six Nations rugby union match between Wales and England at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

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Wales’ Blair Murray dives over to score a try that was disallowed during the Six Nations rugby union match between Wales and England at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

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England’s Alex Mitchell kicks the ball forward before scoring a try during the Six Nations rugby union match between Wales and England at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

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Wales’ Taulupe Faletau, right, tips the balls England’s Maro Itoje, left, and England’s Tommy Freeman try to gather during the Six Nations rugby union match between Wales and England at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

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England’s Tommy Freeman touches down for a try during the Six Nations rugby union match between Wales and England at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — England consigned ailing rival Wales to a 17th straight loss with a record 10-try 68-14 drubbing in the Six Nations that ensured the title will be decided in the final match of the tournament between France and Scotland on “Super Saturday.”

Ahead of kickoff in Paris, England was in first place on 19 points — one more than Ireland. France was four points behind England and will clinch the title with a win of any kind over the Scots.

“Maybe I’ll start singing ‘The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond,’” England captain Maro Itoje said — referring to a Scottish folk song — when asked what he’ll be doing during the France-Scotland game.

“What will be, will be. We did our job.”

Indeed, trophy or no trophy, England exits the tournament on a high with four wins from five — including over France — and its status as a leading rugby power restored after some tough narrow losses for coach Steve Borthwick last year.

Wales’ biggest ever loss in Cardiff began with a third-minute score for Itoje, one of five tries in the first half for the visitors as Tom Roebuck, Tommy Freeman, replacement Chandler Cunningham-South and Will Stuart also went over.

Not PARSE.LY: England

France's Louis Bielle-Biarrey races in to score a try during the Six Nations rugby union match between France and Scotland at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

France wins Six Nations after beating Scotland with record flourish

Six Nations Champions

England 68, Wales 14

Freeman has scored a try in each game in this edition of the Six Nations, a first for an English player.

Tries by Alex Mitchell, replacements Henry Pollock (twice) and Joe Heyes, and then Cunningham-South again completed the rout and a record margin of victory by England over Wales. Pollock’s tries came on his debut.

“Even when results weren’t going our way, and there was outside noise, we kept on being consistent. The challenge for our team is to continue to grow, continue to get better,” Itoje said.

Wales’ only response was two tries by center Ben Thomas, one in each half, and this was another humiliating match for a proud rugby nation whose last win came way back in October 2023 and finished outright last — thereby picking up the wooden spoon — for the second straight season for the first time in the Five or Six Nations.

Seventeen straight defeats is a record losing run for a tier one nation in the professional era and equals Scotland’s run between 1951-55. It is only one behind France’s losing streak from 1911-20.

The Welsh have lost all of their matches for two straight campaigns and are in a dark place as they continue their search for a full-time coach to replace Warren Gatland, who left mid-tournament to leave Matt Sherratt in charge for the final three rounds of the Six Nations.

Of the other records to tumble, this was the most points Wales has conceded in Cardiff and the country’s heaviest Six Nations loss.

“It’s tough — all the boys are gutted but you can’t knock the boys, the commitment, the effort in training, how hard we’ve worked,” Wales co-captain Jac Morgan said. “It’ll come hopefully.”

France has, by a distance, the best points difference of all teams in the tournament, at +106.

That means a regulation win, without a bonus point, would be enough for Les Tricolores to claim the title. It would leave them tied on points with England but with a superior points difference.

A bonus-point win would see France finish a point ahead of England, whose players were set to watch the game in Paris back at their team hotel in Cardiff.

If they were to win the title, the English would need to return to an empty Principality Stadium for a trophy presentation.

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby