Wales vs England: Five player-vs-player subplots
It’s hard to imagine a more fitting scenario for the annual fixtures between Wales and England than for it to see both sides gunning for a Grand Slam, with the white-hot cauldron of the Principality Stadium set to play host.
With England finishing the tournament with two home fixtures, they will be confident of securing a Slam if they can tame the Welsh dragon on Saturday but equally, Wales will fancy their chances with home advantage. Whilst they face a slightly more challenging end to the championship, they will have momentum fully behind them if they can knock off the English visitors.
It should make for a tense and electric contest in Cardiff and although recent form suggests England should be favourites, the atmosphere generated by the home fans has proven a very effective leveller in years gone by.
We have identified several key head-to-head battles to watch out for on Saturday.
Continue reading below…
Watch: Eddie Jones talks to RugbyPass ahead of Wales
Tomas Francis (76) vs Ben Moon (76)
An all-Exeter Chiefs affair in this scrum battle.
In the red corner, Francis offers size and international experience advantages over his opponent, whilst he recently dealt well with a gargantuan French pack and the strong-scrummaging Jefferson Poirot. With Taulupe Faletau injured, Wales will need Francis to step up his ball-carrying in Cardiff on Saturday and help his side win the battle at the gain-line.
In the white corner, Moon brings a mobility and work rate in the loose that Francis arguably doesn’t have, whilst he is also one of the most adept scrummagers in the English game. He will feel confident emptying the tank inside 60 minutes at the Principality Stadium, safe in the knowledge England will be planning on using the impactful Ellis Genge to finish the contest. It will be fascinating to see which of the two clubmates has better diagnosed the chinks in the other’s armour.
Advantage: Moon
Alun Wyn Jones (85) vs Courtney Lawes (73)
It’s remarkable the level Jones continues to play at, despite being 33 years of age and having over 122 Wales caps of gruelling physical punishment under his belt. He is still the hard-working and influential lock that he was 10 years ago, only know it is coupled with more experience than any other international second row out there. He will need to have the set-piece running efficiently if Wales are to hold serve at home and keep their Grand Slam hopes alive.
As for Lawes, he may not have Jones’ experience, but he is consistently delivering the highest level of performances for England. It’s been a long time since he was just a highlight reel tackler and the Northampton Saints second row has added work rate and technique in the loose, particularly as a carrier, which has been key to England’s new-found successes at the gain-line. He stole two throws against France and will have his mind set on doing likewise against Wales.
Advantage: Even
Justin Tipuric (83) vs Tom Curry (74)
Tipuric may very well be the most predatory openside flanker in the northern hemisphere. Both as a fetcher trying to steal ball at the breakdown and as a support runner for teammates making line-breaks, there are few who can match the Welshman’s skill. England’s ball security at the contact area has been strong across their first two games and if Tipuric can disrupt that, then maybe he can disrupt England’s larger game-plan.
For all the praise heaped upon Mark Wilson – all of it deserved, by the way – Curry has drifted a little under the radar so far this championship. He shouldn’t have, though, as his work at the breakdown has been impressive on both sides of the ball, and he has repeatedly hunted down opposition fly-halves deep behind the gain-line. What should excite England fans most, however, is not just how good he is now, but how good he could be two or three years down the road.
Advantage: Tipuric
Gareth Anscombe (83) vs Owen Farrell (92)
After being rested from the XV against Italy, Anscombe resumes his duties as the starting Welsh fly-half. His work at the heart of Wales’ back line has been a big component in their rise to prominence over the last 18 months, with his ability to see and exploit the space on the rugby pitch a key factor in ending fans’ discontent at the so-called “Warrenball” approach to play of previous Welsh sides. With England’s press defence in such good shape over the first two games of the championship, there will be a lot of pressure on Anscombe as a decision-maker in Cardiff, with the opportunities to catch out an aggressive defence likely to be there if he can execute.
Farrell continues to go from strength to strength with England and he has looked unburdened by the additional responsibilities of being sole captain in Dylan Hartley’s absence. The attacking execution that he has brought for a number of seasons now is still in place and he has coupled that with a calmer leadership style, as well as keeping the tackle height under control. A relatively restrained and calm Farrell is arguably one of the most influential players on the planet, and one that opposing nations will fear.
Advantage: Farrell
Watch: Henry Slade speaks about backline battle with Wales
Jonathan Davies (75) vs Henry Slade (84)
One of the few players to start both the game against France and the one against Italy, Davies comfort in his role will be key to securing a potential win for Wales. England’s kicking game has been under the microscope over the last couple of weeks, but their ability to put tempo and width on the ball and turn the corner outside of the defending 13 has also been impressive and is something Davies will need to shut down. All his years of experience in defence will need to be called upon, especially as he has to track the contrasting threats of Manu Tuilagi and Slade.
Speaking of Slade, he looks like a different player outside of Tuilagi. Where he was caught tight in the autumn and looked hesitant in an England jersey, he is now playing with the freedom and confidence that has seen him excel with Exeter. If he continues to mix up his game and rotate inside and outside with Tuilagi, he should prove a handful for Wales, but in Davies he is arguably facing his toughest opponent so far this year.
Advantage: Even
In other news: Sonny Bill Williams linked with code switch and move to North America
Comments on RugbyPass
An on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
24 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
24 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
24 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
24 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
11 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to comments