Ireland coach Andy Farrell paid tribute to a "brave" Italy performance in defeat, as his side downed the 13-man Azzurri in a 57-6 rout in the Six Nations.
Two tries apiece for Michael Lowry and James Lowe helped the hosts to a crushing bonus-point victory at Aviva Stadium in Dublin to get their championship hopes firmly back on track.
But they had a numerical advantage for the majority of the game after Hame Faiva was shown a contentious red card for shoulder-to-chin contact on Dan Sheehan midway through the first half, with the World Rugby requirement for hooker-less Italy to be a man down in an uncontested scrum in such circumstances reducing them to 13 men.
A late yellow card for Braam Steyn further compounded issues for Kieran Crowley's side, who finished with 12 players.
Amid such difficulties, Farrell felt the visitors showed superb spirit throughout while his own side fell short of his expectations despite the scoreline.
"It was a strange old game," he told ITV. "I thought we were sloppy at times and with the scoreboard at 57-6, you'd think we'd be happy with that. I suppose we got the points we needed in the end.
"I thought Italy were unbelievably brave, they started the game well and were difficult to play against with 15 men. But, having said that, when they went down to 13, I thought they were so brave."
Italy captain Michele Lamaro refused to criticise the ruling by referee Nika Amashukeli and also focused on his side's commitment.
"It's not from my point of view, it's just the rules," he added. "Our hooker got injured before the red card and then the red card came to our other hooker, so we hadn't any other hookers who can play.
"We couldn't play contested scrums, so we had to take someone off to play uncontested scrums. It was really punishing us, but obviously it's the rule.
"I couldn't ask anything more of the boys, so we showed something, but it's difficult to be happy with such a result."
Ireland cruised to a bonus-point 57-6 win over Italy in the Six Nations after a contentious red card left the Azzurri with 13 men.
Italy were always expected to slump to a heavy defeat in Dublin, having done so against both France and England, and their hopes of an upset were essentially ended in the 19th minute when Hame Faiva, on as a replacement hooker for Gianmarco Lucchesi, was sent off.
Faiva was deemed to have made dangerous shoulder-to-chin contact in a tackle on Dan Sheehan, his subsequent dismissal and the World Rugby requirement for hooker-less Italy to be a man down in an uncontested scrum in such circumstances reducing them to 13 men.
From that point, the game was over as a contest, Ireland running in nine tries to make it two wins from three and keep their hopes of Six Nations glory firmly intact as they leapfrogged England into second behind unbeaten France.
Joey Carbery crawled over the line to open the scoring after an Ireland break in the third minute.
Italy answered through Edoardo Padovani's long-range penalty, but the game was settled for all intents and purposes when the officials decided to dismiss Faiva after a long discussion with the TMO despite a seemingly innocuous tackle appearing to have done no damage to Sheehan.
It prompted another prolonged discussion at the scrum as referee Nika Amashukeli explained Italy's secondary punishment, which was soon followed by Jamison Gibson-Park going over for Ireland's second try.
A predictable Ireland overlap saw Michael Lowry cross, the bonus-point try then coming from Peter O'Mahony before Padovani gave Italy some cheer with another penalty before the break.
The rout continued thereafter, though, James Lowe strolling over out wide before Lowry added his second and Ryan Baird charged down an Italy kick to scoop up and dot down.
Italy were then reduced to 12 men as the game finished in farce with Braam Steyn shown a yellow card for batting the ball out of play. Lowe's easy second try took Ireland to the half-century mark and Kieran Treadwell had the final say against a shattered Italy defence.
Unwanted century comes in ruined spectacle
Italy's defeat marked their 100th in the Six Nations, but that unwanted milestone will be overshadowed by the officiating controversy in the first half.
In the circumstances of both the red card and reducing Italy to 13 men, Amashukeli was bound by the rules, but Italy being punished twice for a decision that was marginal at best was extremely harsh and ruined the game as a spectacle.
Ireland home comforts continue
Ireland have now lost just two of their past 23 home matches in the Six Nations, and few have come easier than this victory against an outnumbered Italy side.
What's next?
Italy host Scotland in Rome on March 12, when Ireland face a pivotal blockbuster clash with England at Twickenham.
All-Star Ja Morant scored a career-high 46 points as the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Chicago Bulls at United Center, and later attributed his achievement in part to Bulls legend Michael Jordan.
Saturday's encounter saw the Grizzlies win 116-110 to move to 42-20, while the Bulls are 39-22.
Steven Adams also hit 12 points with a season-high 21 rebounds for Memphis, while DeMar DeRozan extended his 30-point streak to 10 games with a 31-point haul as the Bulls' six-game win streak came to an end.
After the game, Morant was asked if he had seen the highlights video played in the arena of Jordan's most memorable moments.
"I did watch it," he said. "And then, I did start scoring a lot. It probably played a part in it."
The 22-year-old made 15 of 28 field goal attempts, sank three shots from beyond the arc and made 13 out of 15 free throws.
His 46-point haul comes just 10 days after he racked up 44 against the Portland Trail Blazers, and makes it 16 games in a row in which he has scored at least 20 points.
"I've seen too many [incredible performances]. Kinda boring now," Grizzlies team-mate Adams said jokingly. "He's such an amazing player."
Morant also went on to praise the effort of his team, saying: "They gotta be recognised for the job they do for us on the floor. Obviously we had a lot of guys who contributed big for us tonight.
"[Desmond Bane] hit a big-time three, Kyle [Anderson] with the stops on the defensive end, Steve being the man inside the paint, Tyus [Jones] stepping up and hitting big free throws, and so on down the line.
"Obviously without them, we probably wouldn't have been in that position, so a lot of credit has to go to my team-mates."
Elina Svitolina has penned an emotive letter to her homeland of Ukraine, pledging to donate her prize money to military and humanitarian needs after Russia's invasion.
Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine on Thursday. That conflict has escalated over the weekend.
Russia and Vladimir Putin's government faces heavy political and financial sanctions, while sports organisations such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and UEFA have also condemned the attack.
St Petersburg has been stripped of this season's Champions League final, while Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic have refused to play Russia in qualifiers for the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Formula One has pulled the Russian Grand Prix from its race calendar for 2022.
Several tennis players have spoken out against Russia's aggression, including Russian duo Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev, who will ascend to world number one in the ATP rankings on Monday.
On Saturday, Svitolina – the former WTA world number three – told Sky Sports News she was "shocked at this terrible nightmare".
Svitolina has family and friends back in Ukraine and, on Sunday, she posted an emotional message on her social media channels.
"Letter to my Motherland, I am currently far away from you, out of sight from my loved ones, far from my people, but my heart has never felt so warm and filled of your soul," Svitolina's message read.
"It is difficult to express how special you are. To me you are strong, beautiful and unique. You gave me everything and I cherish every piece of you: your culture, your education, your lands, your seas, your cities, your people. My people.
"My people, every day I fear for you. I am devastated, my eyes won't stop crying, my heart won't stop bleeding. But I am so proud. See our people, our mothers, our fathers, our brothers, our sisters, our children, they are so brave and strong, fighting to defend you. They are heroes.
"I commit to redistribute the prize money of my next tournaments to support army and humanitarian needs and help them to defend you, our country.
"Ukraine, you unify us, you are our identity. You are our past and our future. We are Ukraine."
Svitolina also called on other nations to continue to step up their efforts to stop the invasion.
"May the world see it and help us to join forces to protect you," she wrote. "You are in all my thoughts and prayers. You are always with me. I am Ukraine. We are Ukraine."
Rafael Nadal said he will not measure himself against other players' records until his career is over after adding another trophy to his impressive collection, beating Cameron Norrie in straight sets to lift the Mexican Open.
Nadal continued his undefeated start to 2022 with his third title for the year after beating the British sixth seed 6-4 6-4 in Acapulco on Saturday.
He is now on a run of 15-0 this season, claiming his 91st ATP Tour crown along the way.
It was also Nadal's fourth Mexican Open title, having previously won in 2005, 2013 and 2020.
His recent win at the Australian Open put him clear of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on 21 grand slam titles, but he still sits behind Ivan Lendl (94), Federer (103) and Jimmy Connors (109) for ATP tournament victories.
After his win in Mexico, Nadal said he is not concerned about records as long as he is still playing, saying: "At the end of the day, I've always said that this kind of record needs to be measured once your career is over.
"Today the most important thing is that I have won a prestigious tournament."
The 35-year-old's incredible form is all the more impressive considering he was forced to miss last year's US Open to deal with a foot issue that troubled him all the way to the lead-up to January's Australian Open.
"It was complicated, and I ended up taking the victory. Looking back, a few weeks ago this would have looked impossible," he added.
"It's amazing how things can change in such a short span, from not being able to practice and now to be where I am today."
Vladimir Putin's status as honorary president and ambassador of the International Judo Federation (IJF) has been suspended.
The IJF announced the decision on Sunday in light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Putin ordered Russia to invade Ukraine on Thursday following weeks of rising political tensions in the region.
The conflict has continued to escalate, with the fighting reaching the country's second-largest city, Kharkiv, on Sunday.
Russia's invasion has received international condemnation, including in the sporting world. St Petersburg was stripped of the right to host this season's Champions League final by UEFA, while Formula One removed the Russian Grand Prix from its 2022 calendar.
Several high-profile sports figures have publicly expressed their opposition to war, including Russia's Andrey Rublev, who wrote "no war please" on a camera lens at the Dubai Tennis Championships, joining compatriot Daniil Medvedev in calling for peace.
Putin's suspension from his honorary role with the IJF follows its decision to cancel the 2022 Grand Slam that was due to be held in Kazan from May 20-22.
Announcing the cancellation on Friday, IJF president Marius L. Vizer said in a statement: "We are saddened by the current international situation, the result of inefficient dialogue at international level.
"We, the sports community, must remain united and strong, to support each other and our universal values, in order to always promote peace and friendship, harmony and unity.
"The judo family hopes that the current unrest can be solved in the last moment, to re-establish normality and stability in Eastern Europe and the world, to once again be able to focus on the diverse cultures, history and legacy of Europe, in the most positive way."
Kyrie Irving can see "light at the end of the tunnel" after the best performance of his difficult season in the Brooklyn Nets' defeat of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Irving put up 38 points, as the Nets beat the reigning champions 126-123 on the road on Saturday.
With Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons sidelined, Irving stepped up with a strong performance, finishing 14-of-26 shooting to overshadow Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
It was a glimpse of a possibly exciting end to the season for the Nets and Irving, whose appearances have been limited by the vaccine mandate in New York City.
The 29-year-old, who is unvaccinated, has only been able to play in road games until now, but New York City mayor Eric Adams said this week that the mandate is likely to be phased out as cities across the United States begin to remove their COVID-19 restrictions.
"I'm glad that things are kind of settling down and there's light at the end of the tunnel here," Irving said. "Hopefully, I can get back on that home floor playing in the Barclays, and now we can finally have that conversation that you've been dying to have just about turning the page and moving forward beyond this.
"But like I said, I'm not the only one. I feel for everybody that's either in my boat or a similar boat or has dealt with some type of trauma from this. And just wishing everybody well-wishes, always."
On the prospect of New York's mandate being lifted, Irving said: "I'm following it as much as you guys are, so just remaining patient and just seeing where things end up in this next week or so, next two weeks, I'm not too sure, but I know as much as you do.
"And I want to say this: I'm very appreciative of all those that are pushing behind the scenes to make our world a better place.
"And with everything calming down with the COVID cases, the most important thing for me was just making sure everyone's okay. I've been on record saying this that it's not about me, that I don't want to feel like it's all on me, but the circumstances this year have not been ideal."
Irving has only played in 15 games this season but has maintained a points average of 25.1, above his career figure of 22.9. That is despite his field-goal percentage (45.9 per cent) dropping to its lowest since his penultimate season with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015-16.
He said he was grateful to NBA commissioner Adam Silver for suggesting the New York mandate "doesn't quite make sense" as unvaccinated opposition players were still allowed to play.
"I know his job is not easy, standing in the fire, sometimes, on behalf of our league," he added. "So my respect level went to a whole new one for him, and I'm just grateful that he did that, and he really took one for the team. And I'm grateful for that.
"But like I said, we want to set a great example for the world in what we're doing, and we try to stand for what's right and respect everyone else's decisions and their personal beliefs."
Rafael Nadal continued his remarkable start to 2022 with his third title for the year after beating British sixth seed Cameron Norrie 6-4 6-4 in the Mexican Open final in Acapulco on Saturday.
The 21-time major winner extended his 15-0 winning run for the calendar year, claiming his 91st ATP Tour crown along the way. The triumph was also Nadal's fourth Mexican Open title, having also won in 2005, 2013 and 2020.
Nadal, who beat new world number one Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals and did not drop a set in Acapulco, won in one hour and 54 minutes over a dogged Norrie.
The 35-year-old's achievements are all the more remarkable considering he was forced to miss last year's US Open to deal with a foot issue which troubled him all the way to the lead-up to January's Australian Open.
Norrie pushed the Spaniard, breaking back late in the second set when trailing 5-2, but the defeat ends his eight-game winning streak after lifting the Delray Beach Open title last week.
The Spaniard made 79 per cent of first serves, winning 71 per cent on them, while he converted four of his five break points for the match in typical ruthless fashion.
Nadal claimed the only break of the first set in the fifth game, capitalising on a trio of misses from Norrie.
Both players broke serve early in the second set, with Norrie leading 2-1 before Nadal rattled off four straight games to serve for the crown.
However, Norrie was not done yet, breaking back and holding serve, before the Spaniard finished the job in his 128th appearance in an ATP decider.
American sixth seed Sloane Stephens will face Czech Marie Bouzkova in the WTA Abierto Zapopan final in Guadalajara on Sunday after the pair triumphed in Saturday's semi-finals.
The 2017 US Open champion qualified for her first final since 2018, winning 3-6 7-5 (ret) with Russian opponent Anna Kalinskaya succumbing to injury late in the second set.
Kalinskaya retired shortly after Stephens claimed the second set having battled through back pain for several games, with the match moving close to two hours.
The Russian had shown signs of injury during Friday's quarter-final win over Camila Osorio which she won in straight sets, yet Kalinskaya raced into the lead in the first set against Stephens.
Bouzkova, who knocked out reigning champion Sara Sorribes Tormo in Friday's quarter-finals, triumphed 6-3 6-3 oover Qiang Wang in one hour and 31 minutes.
The 23-year-old Czech is ranked 96th in the world and has never won a WTA Tour singles title.
Kyrie Irving was cool under pressure as he scored a season-high 38 points in the Brooklyn Nets' impressive 126-123 road win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, missed a three-point attempt to send the game to over-time.
The Nets were missing key players Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons but produced a win that showcased their potential having lost 13 of their past 15 games.
New additions Seth Curry (19 points with four three-pointers) and Andre Drummond (17 points, 12 rebounds and five assists) supported Irving well, with the point guard crucial down the stretch from the stripe.
Bobby Portis scored a career-high eight three-pointers in his 30-point haul along with 12 rebounds, while Khris Middleton added 25 points for the Bucks who have lost four of their past five.
Ja records career-high haul
All-Star Ja Morant scored a career-high 46 points, while Steven Adams had 12 points with a season-high 21 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Chicago Bulls 116-110. DeMar DeRozan extended his 30-point streak to 10 games with a 31-point haul as the Bulls' six-game win streak was halted.
Nikola Jokic closed to within five of Wilt Chamberlain's all-time triple-doubles record as the Denver Nuggets won 115-110 over the Sacramento Kings. Jokic had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for his 73rd career triple-double.
The Boston Celtics claimed their 11th win from their past 12 games with a 113-104 victory over the Detroit Pistons, while Trae Young dropped 41 points as the Atlanta Hawks won 127-100 against the Toronto Raptors.
Pop's record on hold
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will have to wait a few more days before he can tie the NBA record for regular-season victories after a 133-129 loss to the Miami Heat, with Bam Adebayo scoring a season-high 36 points. Popovich has 1,334 regular-season wins as Spurs coach, putting him one behind Don Nelson.
Draymond Green has returned to practice for the first time with the Golden State Warriors since early January as he closes in on a return from injury.
Green has been out since January 9 with a lower back injury but joined in shooting drills and 5-on-0 conditioning.
The All-Star forward has spent plenty of time during his rehab phase in the weight room and said he was "stronger than I've ever been in my life" in an ominous sign for the Warriors.
"My progress has been tremendous," Green said. "I think, where I am today, if you knew where I was eight weeks ago or seven weeks ago, it's night and day."
He added: "I'm stronger than I've ever been in my life. I spent six weeks just sitting in the weight room, working in there for four, five hours a day."
The Warriors remain reluctant to offer a firm timeframe on Green's return to play, with head coach Steve Kerr simply stating it was good to have him back in team practice.
Green, however, admitted he was still weeks away but he should return to get some on-court time ahead of the playoffs, with the Warriors well placed at 43-17 and second in the west.
"I'm trying to stick to as fast as I can possibly get back," Green said. "From where I am, you feel like it's three weeks or so, but it could be five weeks or so. It's no set thing.
"In a week and a half, it could be like my conditioning is at a level, my strength is at a level, my explosiveness is at a level where you can go back out there.
"Like I said, as soon as I feel like I'm whole and can get back out there and get my feet back under me before the playoffs, great. If that's 15 games, fantastic. If it's 10, I'll make do. If it's five, then five is going to have to work."
Brooklyn Nets' All-Star Kevin Durant will return in the next week according to head coach Steve Nash.
Durant has been sidelined since January 15 when he suffered an MCL sprain, with the Nets struggling in his absence, sliding to a 31-29 record including a run of 11 straight defeats.
The Nets have been reluctant to put a timeframe on the 33-year-old's return, having been expected to be out until the All-Star break but Nash offered some clarity ahead of Saturday's road game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
"Every day closer," Nash said after shootaround. "We'll see. I expect in the next week he'll be back for sure. It could be quick; it could be the whole week barring any setbacks."
"I think with Kevin he's been a great healer throughout his career so the number one thing is to get him back healthy and feeling secure in his health and his body so he can move and be free.
"When he's back, obviously he adds a ton to our team on both ends of the floor... one of the greatest scorers of all time. And we also know he helps us defensively; he gives us more size and length. So he's a big miss for us, and whenever he gets back, he'll impact our team."
Nash was less committal on Ben Simmons, whom joined the Nets earlier this month in a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons has not played all season due to his standoff with the 76ers and is building up his conditioning, as well as managing a "little soreness in his back".
"He's not gone to high intensity yet," Nash said. "Just ramping him up still."
On the back issue, Nash added: "It's not like an injury. It's just kind of like as he's returning to play his back's flared up a little bit. It's not a long-term thing."
Josh Taylor retained his world super-lightweight titles after a controversial split-decision victory over Jack Catterall who was "robbed" according to his trainer.
The judges determined that Taylor had triumphed 112-113, 114-11, 113-112, despite Catterall dominating the first five rounds.
Taylor was also knocked down in the eighth round by 28-year-old Catterall, who stormed out of Glasgow's OVO Hydro following the judges' decision.
Catterall’s trainer Jamie Moore, who spoke in the boxer's absence, said: “It’s difficult to put into words.
"You’re talking about a kid who has worked all his life for that moment, who waited three years for that opportunity. He then performs like that and beats the champion in his own backyard – and gets absolutely robbed."
Moore added: “You’ve asked Jack to come down here, as if Jack can come down and speak. He’s absolutely heartbroken.”
Catterall later tweeted: "What a load of s***!"
The victory improves 31-year-old Taylor's overall record to 19-0 and the Scot said there was no need for a re-match.
“I don’t think there’s any need for a rematch, I won the fight," Taylor said. "I won the fight by a couple of rounds, I won the fight in the second half when I took over and I bossed him.”
Taylor added: “100 per cent, I started a little slow but once I got into my rhythm and started getting him my timing and catching him with the bigger shots. He got me with a couple good shots, I’m not going to lie.
“It wasn’t my best performance, I put a lot of pressure on myself these couple of weeks with my homecoming, the first time in three year. I put a helluva pressure on myself with being the heavy favourite and it showed in the first half of the fight, but once I got my rhythm I started catching him with the bigger shots.
“It wasn’t my best performance but I believe I got the win, 100 per cent I got the win. But Jack did very well.”
Florida native Daniel Berger moved five strokes clear ahead of the final day at the Honda Classic, matching the largest 54-hole lead in tournament history on Saturday.
The world number 20 had held a three-shot lead at the halfway mark but extended that with a one-under-69 following back-to-back 65s at Palm Beach Gardens in Florida.
Berger led by as many as six strokes after sticking a brilliant tee shot for birdie on the par-three 15th hole before a bogey on the 18th hole.
The American leads from a group of four players tied on six-under, including Irishman Shane Lowry who carded a round of six-under-67 to move up the leaderboard.
Lowry is tied with Sepp Straka, Chris Kirk and day one leader Kurt Kitayama, with the latter two carding rounds of one-over-71 having been tied for second after the first two days.
“Obviously you want to go out and catch him tomorrow, but I don’t think you can go and catch anyone on this golf course," said Lowry, whose round was the best of the day with only 13 players above even.
“You just need to do your thing and shoot the best score you can and hopefully it will be somewhere near good enough."
Lowry's round included four birdies and a bogey, while he drained a 20-foot putt on the sixth hole to save par.
Canadian Adam Svensson is one stroke back from the quartet at five-under, before a three-shot gap to the next in the field.
Pre-tournament favourites Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen are both well back, at one-over and two-over overall respectively.
Ben Youngs said the "magnitude" of becoming England's most-capped men's player has yet to sink in, after the 32-year-old surpassed Jason Leonard by making his 115th international appearance in the Six Nations win over Wales.
Youngs came on from the bench during England's 23-19 win over the Six Nations holders at Twickenham, as Eddie Jones' side survived a second-half Wales comeback to follow up their 33-0 thrashing of Italy with another crucial win.
Leicester scrum-half Youngs, who made his senior international debut against Scotland in March 2010, said he needed time to reflect upon his accomplishment.
"I've tried to convince myself that today and tomorrow I will sit back and try and absorb it all," he said.
"I don't think the magnitude of what's happened has sunk in."
Harry Randall was England's starting scrum-half for the contest, but Youngs said he had no qualms with playing a supporting role to the 24-year-old in his own veteran years.
"Right now I'm getting a huge amount of joy in helping this young team," Youngs added. "While Eddie still thinks I have value and I feel I have value, it seems all right.
"Now I can reflect on that moment and to have the family witness it as well, it was a fabulous occasion."
115 - Ben Youngs has won his 115th cap for @EnglandRugby - and his 50th in the #GuinnessSixNations - making him the most capped player for the England men's team; only Rocky Clark, Sarah Hunter and Katy Daley-Mclean have won more for England overall. Roses. pic.twitter.com/3ZHGElKDrT
— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) February 26, 2022
Antoine Dupont lauded the France support for their role in a long-awaited away win against Scotland at Murrayfield.
In each of the previous two Six Nations campaigns, defeats to Scotland cost France their shot at the title, with a 2020 Grand Slam bid ending in Edinburgh.
That defeat had been the most recent of three in a row for Les Bleus at Murrayfield, where they were without a win since 2014.
But Fabien Galthie's side put that pain behind them in real style with a 36-17 triumph, their biggest against Scotland since 2008.
"There is a lot of satisfaction to be drawn from this game," said Dupont, finished with 64 metres carried after playing a key role in the opening try.
"We made a very good start, then we gave them some points. They came back but despite that, despite two or three errors in our camp, we did not panic.
"We stayed together, united collectively throughout the match, which paid off in the end.
"We didn't necessarily have very good memories here at Murrayfield. There were times when we almost thought we were at the Stade de France, the Marseillaise made a lot of noise.
"We felt supported and it felt good as soon as the bus arrived. The Scottish crowd is an incredible crowd, they kept supporting their team despite the score. It was a great feeling."
England punished an error-strewn Wales performance to win 23-19 at Twickenham and remain France's nearest challengers in the 2022 Six Nations.
The Red Rose had responded to their opening defeat to Scotland with a routine victory over Italy but would have expected a greater test against the defending champions on Saturday.
Instead, England controlled much of the proceedings, with Wales initially impressing only in limiting their scoring.
Marcus Smith's penalty kicking ensured the home side were comfortable early on, though, and an Alex Dombrandt try early in the second period meant an attempted Wales comeback – led by scores from Josh Adams, Nick Tompkins and Kieran Hardy – fell just short.
There was precious little quality in a first half that England dominated, with their 12 points all coming from the boot of Smith.
England's best chance of a try saw them halted in front of the line before Charlie Ewels was penalised for a knock-on, although the TMO spotted Liam Williams had dislodged the ball, earning a yellow card.
Williams headed for the sin bin, yet England added only three points to their total through Smith's latest penalty in his time off the pitch.
The breakthrough try was suitably scruffy in the 43rd minute when Ryan Elias' lineout cleared all of his team-mates and allowed Dombrandt to steal in and score.
Wales' response was rather more impressive, with Adams found free on the left for one try before Tompkins exploited a gap for another, cutting the lead from 17 points to five.
England introduced Ben Youngs for a record-breaking 115th cap as they sought to stem the tide, although it was a further pair of fine Smith kicks that really eased the nerves.
A quick restart from Hardy to score with seconds remaining gave England one last attack to see out with the match on the line, but Eddie Jones' men held on.
Another slow Welsh start
A worrying trend of this Wales campaign has been their poor first-half showings. This was the second of three matches in which they have failed to score a point before the break.
Struggling prior to half-time is nothing new in this fixture, though. They have not led at the interval in any of their 12 Six Nations matches at Twickenham and are the only side with that miserable record.
Smith's boot the standout
Smith finished with 18 points, matching his previous Test best against Canada last July. On that occasion, however, his points came courtesy of nine conversions in a one-sided triumph; this time, with six penalties, his contribution was far more decisive.
The England fly-half also now leads the charts for points in this championship, 12 ahead of Melvyn Jaminet, with whom he had been tied heading into Saturday.
What's next?
Ireland will have the opportunity to nudge ahead of England when they host Italy on Sunday, but they are then the next visitors to Twickenham. Wales must attempt to halt France's Grand Slam charge in Cardiff.
Andrey Rublev cruised to the Dubai Tennis Championship title with a 6-3 6-4 final victory to end the dream run of qualifier Jiri Vesely.
Having made headlines after his semi-final triumph over Hubert Hurkacz by writing "no war please" on a television camera in protest at Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Rublev wrapped up his third title in just a matter of days in emphatic fashion, after winning both the singles and doubles titles at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille last week.
The Russian world number seven had needed three sets in each of his last three contests but wrapped up a more straightforward victory against his Czech opponent, who had defeated 20-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic en route to the final.
Rublev broke Vesely's serve in the fourth game of the contest, not dropping a single point behind his first serve as he roared to a 6-3 win in the opening set.
The 24-year-old then broke again in the opening game of the second set, before the Czech, ranked number 123 in the world, battled back bravely to level the set at 3-3.
Rublev responded in brutal fashion, however, immediately breaking again and going on to seal a comfortable victory, hitting just eight unforced errors throughout the contest, as he claimed his 10th career title.
The victory made it 13 match wins in a row for Rublev across singles and doubles after his successful time in Marseille, where he successfully teamed up with Ukrainian Denys Molchanov for a symbolic doubles triumph.
"I was lucky today, and that's why I am happy to be the champion, I didn't expect this," said Rublev. "It's an amazing feeling and I don't know what to say."
Iga Swiatek thrashed Anett Kontaveit on Saturday to win the Qatar Ladies Open title.
The world number eight triumphed 6-2 6-0 to win her first Tour title of 2022 and the fourth of her career.
Swiatek, who has now claimed two titles at the WTA 1000 level, won the final 10 games of the contest as Kontaveit was powerless to stop her nine-match winning streak coming to an end.
The 2020 French Open champion Swiatek has only dropped 11 games in the four finals she has won.
Kontaveit fought back to 2-2 after an early break of serve, but that was the last time she would win a game as Swiatek took control.
Having survived break points to see out the opening set, Swiatek powered through the second, dropping just four points on serve as she raced to victory in 66 minutes.
Swiatek has now won her last three matches against Kontaveit, taking the overall head-to-head record to 3-2 wins in her favour.
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