England warm-up with a win

Tuilagi: Try on debut

England enjoyed a winning start to their World Cup warm-up campaign but were made to work for a 23-19 success against Wales at Twickenham.

Wales teenager George North scored the first try of the contest but the hosts soon took control due to James Haskell's score and the boot of Jonny Wilkinson.

Manu Tuilagi increased the lead as he powered over for a try on his Test debut, but Shane Williams sneaked over in the corner in response as the visitors refused to lie down.

A late spell of pressure then yielded another try for North but England, who will be anxiously waiting for injury news on skipper Lewis Moody, managed to hang on to complete the win.

Wales suffered a setback before the kick-off as Stephen Jones, who was set to become his country's most-capped player, was forced out at the last minute due to a calf injury, with Rhys Priestland switching to fly-half and Morgan Stoddart coming in at full-back.

Both sides played out a cagey opening, with the hosts putting the first points on the board in the sixth minute as Wilkinson slotted over a long-range penalty.

Unsure

But after looking unsure with ball in hand in the early stages, Wales hit back with a lengthy spell of possession that culminated in the opening try of the match.

After being kept out on the left, the ball was spun out to the opposite wing, where North was on hand to finish in the corner, with Priestland nailing a difficult conversion.

England responded with a period of heavy pressure, during which Delon Armitage almost scored an inspired try, and the home side retook the lead when Haskell pounced for the line from the back of a five-metre scrum.

Wilkinson's conversion made it 10-7 and England continued to dominate after play was restarted.

The pressure finally told in the 38th minute, but England's reward was only three points as Wilkinson knocked over a simple drop goal to make it 13-7 at the half-time interval.

Once again it was the hosts who took the upper-hand after the break and their lead was extended by another seven points early in the second half as debutant Tuilagi powered through three tackles to score under the posts.

Injury

The contest was then held up for several minutes as late replacement Stoddart was stretchered off the field with a serious leg injury.

Wales would not be downhearted, though, and got back in the game when Williams slipped past Mark Cueto to score in the corner and reduce the deficit to eight points.

Another Wilkinson drop goal, this time with his right foot, gave the home side some more breathing space, but at the same time England skipper Lewis Moody limped out of the action in worrying fashion.

Wales continued to press and skipper Sam Warburton was narrowly denied a try in the corner by the video referee, but England eventually managed to clear the danger.

But the visitors were not finished and Warburton was also the spark behind Wales' late try, as his break sent the England defence scrambling and North was left with an easy score which Priestland managed to convert.