JAMES HOOK can take his place alongside the great Welsh fly-halves, such as Phil Bennett and Barry John, after this match-winning performance. Hook was simply inspirational in Wales’s remarkable second-half revival and eclipsed England’s Jonny Wilkinson in almost every respect.

Wales had lived off crumbs, but in the second half Hook ensured that they dominated territory, spending 70% of the time in England’s half – much of it camped in their 22. But it still took a moment of magic from the Wales No 10 to open the door to the English try-line, and the way he stepped out of Andy Gomarsall’s tackle and ghosted past Paul Sackey and Simon Shaw, before putting Lee Byrne clear, was magical.

What Hook has done, coming from semi-pro rugby to the international game in the space of two years, shows a player of rare ability, and yesterday was a true coming of age. He was the main man and produced what was needed under the greatest pressure imaginable. Where Stephen Jones is a safe pair of hands, Hook is always prepared to take a gamble – and he has got the skills to make it pay. He also sparked Gavin Henson into life, after the inside-centre had been largely anonymous during the first half.

The difference between Hook’s command performance and Wilkinson’s stuttering showing after the break was pretty stark. It was almost as if the English fly-half, who won his 66th cap yesterday, was the novice, and Hook, who won his 21st cap, was the veteran.

In the first half, Hook retained his side’s interest in the game with some immaculate goal-kicking, keeping a cool head when everyone else in red was running around like headless chickens. Wales may not have won at Twickenham for 20 years but he looked as if he didn’t give a hoot for all the history, and every strike was perfect.

The way that Wales won this was almost like watching a boxer coming off the ropes when he should have been knocked out in the early rounds – and it was Hook’s jabbing at England’s soft half-back underbelly that gave them hope. He also showed that he can tackle, as he clearly demonstrated when he slowed down Sackey to prevent him scoring just before the interval. At half-time the Welsh will have been counting their blessings given that they were 16-6 behind – and had been on the end of a hiding – but they also knew that if they were to cut out the silly errors and raise their game, Hook could provide the finishing touches.

The other architects of this victory were the Wales coaches, Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards. It was a very shrewd move to select the Ospreys en masse with so little preparation time, and I have no doubt that if they had spread their selection net wider within the Welsh regions, they would have gone under. When things are going badly, the chances of turning them around are always going to be greater when you know that the bloke next to you has gone through all the hard work on the training pitch that you have. When you’ve been through the pain barrier together before, you know you can do it again.

The Welsh proved after the break that if you raise the tempo of your game against England and match them in terms of physicality, then instead of struggling, you are in business.

England, especially with their long list of injuries, were unable to live with the increased pace of the Welsh game – something that is a real worry for Brian Ashton.

Gatland and Edwards had given the Welsh players back their self-belief, and instilled in them that fight-to-the-end mentality that they brought to Wasps.

That said, England played into their hands by being tactically naive – and you have to look at the half-backs. Not only did Wilkinson give Danny Cipriani a hand grenade of a first pass when he came on as a replacement, he has also started to make people wonder if he can operate without experienced players around him.

When Mike Tindall went off injured, so did England’s midfield shape, and the way Ashton’s charges lost direction was schoolboy stuff. Wilkinson should have played for the corners, given it to Toby Flood one-out to kick, or brought Lesley Vainikolo on the burst to carry the ball up, and, above all, play the game in the Welsh half. Instead, the initiative was handed to Wales – and Hook – and they took full advantage.

Jeremy Guscott won 65 caps for England between 1989 and 1999