England eye title after late Welsh scare

LONDON (Reuters) - England survived a terrific late Welsh surge to put one hand on their first Nations title for five years as an Anthony Watson try and 20 points for Owen Farrell helped them beat Wales 25-21 at Twickenham to send them into their final game in France on course for a first grand slam since 2003. England’s massive points advantage over France, who visit Scotland on Sunday, means even a heavy defeat in Paris would be unlikely to deprive them of the tile following four successive second place finishes under Stuart Lancaster. With Wales due to host Italy in their final match, Saturday’s Twickenham showdown was effectively a title decider -- not to mention a chance for some sort of England revenge for their World Cup defeat in September. Yet it was one way traffic from the start as Watson's try and four penalties had them 19-0 ahead 15 minutes into the second period as Wales barely got out of their own half. A chargedown try by Dan Biggar got the visitors on the board but England still looked comfortable until Wales burst into life with late tries by George North and Taulupe Faletau to revive memories of their stunning World Cup comeback -- but this time England held out. (Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by: Toby Davis)