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
I think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
2 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to commentsRyan Coxon has been very impressive considering he was signed by WF as injury cover whilst Uru has been a standout for QR, surprised neither of those mentioned
3 Go to commentsIt’s the massive value he brings with regard team culture/values, preparation, etc. Can’t buy that. I’m hoping to see the young locks get their chance in the big games though.
10 Go to commentsAll good, Gregor, except that you neglected to mention Sam Darry amongst that talented pool of locks. In fact, given Hannah’s inexperience and the fact that Holland won’t be eligible until next year, Lord and Darry might be the frontrunners this year, to join Barrett, Tuipoluto, Va’ii and possibly Whitelock. In fact there might be room for all of them if Barrett played 6 (like Ollie Chessum).
10 Go to commentsHis value is stabilizing the ship 20 - 40 minutes out from the final whistle plus his valuable experience to the underlings coming through.
10 Go to comments