Henry Arundell breaks Six Nations hat-trick record as England brush aside woeful Wales

Henry Arundell broke a Six Nations record for England as Steve Borthwick's charges commenced their 2026 tournament with a 48-7 thrashing of a pitiful Wales side at Twickenham.

Entering the competition on a tremendous 11-match winning run, the hosts took little time to assert their dominance over Steve Tandy's error-strewn side, whose shoddy display has raised immediate fears of a third straight wooden spoon.

By the 35-minute mark, Arundell had bagged a wonderful hat-trick in front of the home crowd, one that earned him a slice of Six Nations history.

At just 23 years and 91 days old, the Bath wing became the youngest player to ever score a Six Nations hat-trick for England, and the fourth-youngest overall.

Ben Earl had also crossed the line in between Arundell's third and fourth tries, while Tom Roebuck's effort, Tommy Freeman's late score and a penalty try also contributed to the thumping of Tandy's Wales, whose only moment of joy came from Josh Adams early in the second half.

George Ford was as reliable as ever from the tee, registering four conversions and a penalty en route to the man-of-the-match prize, while six yellow cards were brandished in an ill-disciplined contest.

Henry Arundell becomes fourth-youngest Six Nations hat-trick scorer in history

23 - At 23 years and 91 days old, Henry Arundell is the youngest player to score a #M6N hat-trick for @EnglandRugby - only Brian O'Driscoll, George North and Blair Kinghorn have scored one for any nation at a younger age. Treble. pic.twitter.com/qrV9sy6m3G

— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) February 7, 2026

While no English player has scored three tries in a Six Nations match at a younger age than Arundell, he trails three men in the all-time list - an Irishman, a Welshman and a Scotsman.

Brian O'Driscoll holds the record for the youngest Six Nations hat-trick scorer at just 21 years old, managing the feat for Ireland against France in March 2000, before repeating the feat against Scotland in 2002.

Nearly two decades later, Blair Kinghorn registered a trio of tries for Scotland against Italy in the 2019 edition, just a couple of weeks after his 22nd birthday.

While there was little for Wales to cheer today, George North also scored a Six Nations hat-trick at a younger age than Arundell, doing so against Italy in 2015 shortly before turning 33.

What next for England and Wales in Six Nations?

England's emphatic victory has seen them immediately surge to the summit of the table, and Borthwick's men will visit Murrayfield Stadium for a date with Scotland on February 14.

Meanwhile, Wales have a week to dissect their thumping before hosting France next Sunday at the Millennium Stadium, while Ireland and Italy kick off round two in Dublin next Saturday.