It was fast and furious, with a smattering of errors only serving to add to the entertainment value and glorious Welsh moves including one which led to Gareth Thomas equalling my record of 33 international tries.

I was surprised at Englands tactics as they really played into Wales hands. The lack of pattern to the game suited the Welsh side - Steve Hansen could not have wished for it to have unfolded better.

Wales commitment was magnificent - as the tackle count of 140-72 shows - and that ended up taking its toll. Wales are a fit side, but there was no way they could have sustained that effort for 80 minutes and hoped to survive.

The scrum was a bit better than in previous games but couldnt cope with the English power in the last quarter. And facing three lineout specialists plus Lawrence Dallaglio and Richard Hill put us under huge pressure late on.

If we could have managed to get a bit more ball at 26-21 the game was there for the taking but England raised their game and showed why they are world champions.

I would say it was Wales best performance of the tournament, even in defeat, as England are a far superior side to Scotland, who we beat in the first match.

What Wales need now is consistency. At the moment, we can be good one minute and then play as we did against Ireland the next. We need to get into the habit of winning - and hopefully that can start against Italy.

I would expect Wales to win well at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday as the Italians are somewhat one-dimensional. They are fiercely competitive and will look to hit Wales with their ferocity so, although they may not offer a lot elsewhere, it will be a tricky fixture.

The Italians have proven they enjoy the confrontational side of it and will provide a big challenge, but if Wales continue in the same vein I expect them to claim the victory.