1
Fierce rivals England and Wales meet in a crucial Guinness Six Nations clash at Twickenham on Saturday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Both countries still have title ambitions, but they cannot afford any further slip-ups following opening weekend defeats.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the key talking points heading into the game.
Title aspirations on the line
This season’s Six Nations might only be at the halfway point, but it will effectively be game over for whichever team loses on Saturday. Both countries lost their opening matches – England being defeated by Scotland and Wales suffering an emphatic reversal in Ireland – but then put themselves back on track with respective victories over Italy and Scotland. After finishing fifth in last season’s tournament, England know they must kick on towards tough assignments next month against Ireland and France, while Wales’ continued hopes of a successful title defence hinge on the outcome at Twickenham – a ground where they have not claimed a Six Nations win since 2012.
History beckons for Ben Youngs
Leicester scrum-half Youngs will become England’s most-capped men’s player if he features off the replacements’ bench against Wales, making his 115th appearance and overtaking World Cup-winning prop Jason Leonard’s mark that he set during a 14-year Test career. Youngs has played under three different England head coaches – Martin Johnson, Stuart Lancaster and Eddie Jones – and only Australian great George Gregan has won more caps for his country as a scrum-half. Youngs, 32, will provide bench cover for starting nine Harry Randall this weekend, but he remains an integral part of Jones’ plans and is guaranteed a rapturous reception from a capacity 82,000 crowd.
Faletau factor huge for Wales
Bath number eight Taulupe Faletau has played just 144 minutes of rugby this season. He recovered from an ankle injury that had sidelined him since last summer to return in his club’s defeat against Wasps earlier this month, then played the whole game in a 24-20 loss to Leicester last weekend, and that has been enough for Wales head coach Wayne Pivac to hand him an international recall. Some might argue that there is a risk element involved, given the significant step up to Test rugby after such little competitive action, but 86 times-capped Faletau’s performance levels have rarely dipped and he is among a rare breed of player able to take it in his stride. It would be no surprise to see him hitting the heights once more.
Wales’ Twickenham torment
The home of English rugby has proved largely unwelcoming for Wales. During the past 40 years of Five Nations, Six Nations and friendlies action, Wales can reflect on just five victories – in 1984, 1988, 2008, 2012 and 2015. Their last Six Nations success came 10 years ago, although there are four starting XV survivors this weekend from a memorable 2015 World Cup pool win in Liam Williams, Dan Biggar, Tomas Francis and Faletau. Recent meetings in south-west London have proved relatively close affairs, with Wales losing 12-6 (2018), 13-6 (2019) and 33-30 (2020), but they have also experienced their share of heavy defeats. Pivac’s team face a tough assignment this weekend.
Rival captains achieve rare feat
For only the sixth time in Five and Six Nations Championship history, the opposing captains are club team-mates. Northampton forward Courtney Lawes leads England, while his Saints colleague Biggar skippers Wales. It first happened 109 years ago when the Liverpool club provided Scotland’s Freddie Turner and Ireland’s Dickie Lloyd, then Lloyd led his country in 1914 against another Liverpool team-mate in England’s Ronnie Poulton-Palmer. The 2005 Six Nations saw Gareth Thomas captain Wales against a Fabien Pelous-led France – both players were at Toulouse – then Stade Francais’ Sergio Parisse and Pascal Pape did it in 2013 and 2014 for Italy and France, respectively
ADVERTISEMENT
Comments on RugbyPass
The shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to comments