WALES fell to a third Six Nations defeat on the spin after having no answer to English muscle at Twickenham.

Eddie Jones’ men claimed the Triple Crown thanks to the brutality of their power game in a 33-30 success, while Wayne Pivac’s first tournament in charge has been a testing one despite a late rally against 13 men in London.

There have been glimpses of what life will be like under the new boss, with some enterprise with ball in hand, but the champions’ defence of their crown has ultimately been a poor one with losses to Ireland, France and now England.

They have one last chance to end on a high against Scotland in Cardiff – coronavirus permitting – before a daunting tour to New Zealand.

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Wales want to play expansively, and they scored the try of the tournament through Justin Tipuric at the start of the second half, but it all starts up front and they had no answer to the English juggernauts.

Backs Anthony Watson, Elliot Daly and Manu Tuilagi scored the home tries but it was the snarling intent of the pack that did the damage.

Wales, like Ireland before them, knew what was coming after Jones named six forwards on the bench but could not stop it.

The resilience of the Warren Gatland era remains and it was that tenacity that ensured the scoreboard was closer than the contest.

It also ensured they grabbed a consolation at the death thanks to tries by Dan Biggar and Tipuric after an Ellis Genge yellow card was followed by a Tuilagi red.

Now they must lick their wounds for a final flourish to ensure they don’t slip to fifth in the table with just the hapless Italians beneath them.

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Sam Davies played a part in the preparations in London but the Dragons fly-half was not needed with Biggar getting things under way with his right knee heavily strapped.

It took just four minutes for England to get their noses in front with Wales caught napping at a lineout.

They – and 99 per cent of Twickenham – expected a drive in the 22 but instead Tom Curry peeled off the maul and fed scrum-half Ben Youngs, who switched back right to Anthony Watson.

The winger should have been stopped but slipped through Tomos Williams’ tackle to score a try that Owen Farrell converted.

Wales were close to a swift response only for wing George North to knock-on when powering towards the line under pressure.

Farrell’s gleeful yet childish reaction in pushing his Lions teammate led to a penalty that Leigh Halfpenny slotted to cut the gap to 7-3 after nine minutes.

There was plenty going on off the ball with television replays showing England prop Joe Marler grabbing Alun Wyn Jones’ in a delicate area.

But the decision was an easy one for referee Ben O’Keefe when captain Jones failed to roll away, presenting Farrell with a chance to atone for his indiscretion.

The Saracens playmaker made no mistake to make it 10-3 after 15 niggly minutes only for Halfpenny to swiftly respond with a three-pointer.

Wales were playing with width, wisely avoiding a direct confrontation with the English power, but two errors put them under pressure and led to try number two.

Halfpenny knocked on when trying to claim a high ball and a scrum penalty was kicked to the 22.

England, with penalty advantage for a high tackle, kept playing and fly-half George Ford worked Elliot Daly over down the left.

Farrell converted from the touchline to make it 17-6 after 33 minutes, leaving Pivac’s men in need of a response before the break.

Instead back-to-back mistakes – high tackle by Hadleigh Parkes on Manu Tuilagi, Ross Moriarty dragging down a maul – allowed Farrell to make it 20-6.

Wales had the final say of the half after England opted not to kick the ball out with the clock in the red but still needed a miracle in the second half despite Dan Biggar making it 20-9 from the tee.

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Yet it took just 26 seconds for the visitors, who had brought on Dragons tighthead Leon Brown for the injured Dillon Lewis at half-time, to close right in on their hosts thanks to a stunning try.

Josh Navidi, Nick Tompkins and Tomos Williams combined gloriously from the kick-off to put flanker Justin Tipuric under the posts for a try that Biggar converted.

Wales were 20-6 down when the clock had hit 40 yet were just 20-16 down when it hit 42.

English nerves were settled when lock-turned-flanker Courtney Lawes won a breakdown penalty that Farrell slotted.

It was a two-score game again when the home scrum put on the power to earn another three points, with fly-half Ford doing the honours this time.

It was time for replacements as the lungs burned approaching the hour, although the arrival of Aaron Shingler was forced by a nasty looking injury to Jake Ball, who left the field with a makeshift sling.

And England mixed power with panache to land the killer blow, hammering away in the 22 after a snipe by Youngs before working numbers out wide for Tuilagi to get the score his performance deserved.

Farrell converted to make it 33-16 and it became a battle for bonuses, Wales chasing a consolation and England hunting a fourth try.

A bout of pressure in the 22 led to replacement prop Genge being yellow-carded for offside in the 73rd minute.

A second Leicester man soon joined him on the touchline but Tuilagi was shown red for a shoulder charge into the head of wing George North in the corner when scrambling to make a cover tackle.

That Wales botched the subsequent attack against 13 men summed up their evening but they had the final say when making the most of their numerical advantage to work Biggar over from a scrum.

The fly-half converted to make it 33-23 but there were just two minutes left and it was a losing bonus rather than a dramatic comeback that was the target.

It came when Tipuric was put over by replacement scrum-half Rhys Webb down the right after 15 had stretched 13.

Biggar converted but this did not feel like a three-point defeat.

England: E Daly, A Watson, M Tuilagi, O Farrell (captain), J May, G Ford, B Youngs, J Marler, J George, K Sinckler, M Itoje, G Kruis, C Lawes, M Wilson, T Curry. Replacements: L Cowan-Dickie, E Genge, W Stuart, J Launchbury, C Ewels, B Earl, W Heinz, H Slade.

Scorers: tries – A Watson, E Daly, M Tuilagi; conversions – O Farrell (3); penalties – O Farrell (3), G Ford.

Wales: L Halfpenny, G North, N Tompkins, H Parkes, L Williams (J McNicholl 65), D Biggar, T Williams (R Webb 45), R Evans (R Carre 57), K Owens (R Elias 74), D Lewis (L Brown 40), J Ball (A Shingler 57), AW Jones (captain), R Moriarty (T Faletau 57), J Tipuric, J Navidi.

Scorers: tries – J Tipuric (2), D Biggar; conversions – D Biggar (2); penalties – L Halfpenny (2), D Biggar.

Referee: Ben O’Keefe (New Zealand)

Argus star man: Josh Navidi