Roar Guru
Sunday morning (AEDT) sees Wales host England, playing in Cardiff. Join The Roar from 3:50am (AEDT) for live scores and commentary on all the action.
England was victorious in four of the last five games between these two nations, capped off with a 14-point win. But the games are normally closer than this. In the past two years, the winning margin of other games has not exceeded five points. Today, the same may happen.
While the bookies favour a solid England win, the outcome may not be so straightforward.
Last week neither team showed much enterprise, cohesion or danger in attack for most parts of the game. Wales did play with more zest, crossing the line several times at the back end of a bummed out showing versus a waning Italy.
Today, we can expect a much more interesting match. England eked out a win against a stirring French performance. They should bounce back with a high-quality game, avoiding simple drop passes and grade-school set-piece execution. It was dreadful stuff.
One bright spot was Ben Te’o. He is the back who is claimed as the local hero from at least three counties. He scored England’s winning points two minutes after running on the field. He will play a similar finishing role today.
However, in reality it is the forwards who wins games. This week, England will again not field any reserve locks. This probably means Mario Itoje, who will start as blindside flanker, will again play 80 minutes and move into the engine room towards the end. Cool stuff, that.
Their pack is similar to last week with a minor backrow tweak, giving them a chance to redeem themselves in a passionate Cardiff stadium.
The Welsh crowd will cherish the return of Toby Faletau as a reserve. He will be the most powerful flanker in the match and should wreak havoc. This could be the reason why Eddie Jones fielded Tom Wood and James Haskell to face off with him at the end.
Front rowers Rob Evans and Tomas Francis did a good job last week and have been requested to start the game.
In the backs department, it is still uncertain if Dan Biggar or George North will play. Statistically, North delivers at least five points a game. That is often the difference a win or a loss for either team.
Wales have only lost one in of their last ten Six Nations matches, but England has won 15 in a row. Both almost ruined their record last week with disappointing execution.
Eddie Jones is doing his best to help his boys by keeping the Cardiff stadium roof open and tricking the Welsh into thinking it was a non-issue. Every little thing will count.
Prediction
Today is a big game. They will hopefully avoid school boy mistakes and play an exciting game with plenty of action. This should be a England win as they have greater depth, more star players and a great coaching team. But it would not be surprising if the Welsh pull off an upset. The last 20 minutes of each half will be a good watch. Enjoy!
Preview written by RobC.