England to pass Cardiff test and end Welsh Slam dream
The two remaining unbeaten teams in this year’s Six Nations will face off at the Principality Stadium on Saturday when Wales host England.
The Grand Slam dream will be crushed for one of these sides while the other moves just two wins away from a clean sweep of Europe’s elite.
The bookmakers have the visitors as favourites to come out on top but with Wales currently on an 11-match winning run, it’s anyone’s game. Wales, while not being in great form, have developed an invaluable knack of securing ugly victories of late and if they can continue that trend this week then it’d be another psychological fillip leading up to the World Cup. More importantly, silverware would be within reach.
Warren Gatland’s men will know, however, this could well be the toughest opponent on their recent streak, as England look once again to be the real deal. Wins over Ireland (away) and France (home) have been impressive for different reasons and they’ll relish the next challenge.
Eddie Jones now appears to have a settled line-up at his disposal and Owen Farrell’s shift to the 10 shirt has coincided with an upturn in form for the Red Rose. A more balanced and dynamic back-row of Mark Wilson, Tom Curry and Bill Vunipola has also added plenty to the cause.
This, though, at the cauldron of Principality Stadium will be another serious test of England’s credentials as while Ireland were possibly shocked by that Round One performance in Dublin, Wales will be fully ready for what is to come. Expect a breathless 80 minutes on Saturday.
Wales, while on this winning run, are currently not in a similar boat in terms of selection, with Gareth Anscombe the much-debated pick at fly-half ahead of Dan Biggar. Gatland said on Thursday that Biggar’s absence due to club commitments did not help his case for the jersey.
There has also been some calls for Owen Watkin to get the nod at centre ahead of Hadleigh Parkes after his performance against Italy. But experience has got the nod on this occasion as Wales must stifle an English midfield and back-line that has been in superb form thus far.
Of course the war of words has begun ahead of such an important match with England head coach Jones laying on the pressure on a Wales side that has been dubbed the “greatest Welsh team ever” in the media. Gatland though shrugged off that comment saying that only Jones had made such a compliment and instead queried England’s decision to travel to Cardiff on Friday evening, saying it would be “a significant mistake”.
Those jibes, a short roof debate and excitement aplenty then can only mean one thing, a fascinating game awaits between these great rivals.
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Players to watch:
For Wales: The major selection story as mentioned above was the inclusion of Gareth Anscombe at fly-half, keeping his place from their Six Nations opener against France. Gatland is confident the Cardiff Blues playmaker as his man to lead this week, but expect Biggar to make an impact during the closing stages. Anscombe impressed last year against England with his running game and with a dry track forecast, he will relish taking the game to the visitors. The tough conditions against France limited his qualities somewhat so he should go well on Saturday.
For England: He scored two tries last year in this fixture and currently leads the way in 2019’s tournament with four crossings to his name. We are of course talking about wing Jonny May, who has moved his game on to a new level of late, with his speed frightening the life out of opponents thus far. George North must be wary of rushing up as England will once again look to put the ball in behind the defence, with May having crossed via that option at Twickenham 12 months ago. He’ll be a nightmare to contain once again, much to the delight of English fans.
Head-to-head: The back-row battle is going to have a major say in the result at Principality Stadium. Josh Navidi, Justin Tipuric and Ross Moriarty are three dynamic athletes who should hold the edge at the breakdown over Mark Wilson, Tom Curry and Billy Vunipola. However, that trio possess much greater brute force which will be evident on Saturday, with Curry being a real focal point in England’s defensive game in their opening matches. If England can outmuscle this Welsh back-row, thus limiting their threat at the breakdown, this battle should be won.
Previous results:
2018: England won 12-6 at Twickenham
2017: England won 21-16 in Cardiff
2016: England won 27-13 at Twickenham
2016: England won 25-21 at Twickenham
2015: Wales won 28-25 at Twickenham
2015: England won 21-16 in Cardiff
2014: England won 29-18 at Twickenham
2013: Wales won 30-3 in Cardiff
Prediction: An incredibly tough result to call with home field advantage, form and confidence all taken into account. The absence of Mako Vunipola is a blow to the visitors but they just seem to be on the same page this year and we expect a narrow English win. England by 3!
The teams:
Wales: 15 Liam Williams, 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Ross Moriarty, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Josh Navidi, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c), 4 Cory Hill, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Rob Evans
Replacements: 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Adam Beard, 20 Aaron Wainwright, 21 Aled Davies, 22 Dan Biggar, 23 Owen Watkin
England: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Jonny May, 10 Owen Farrell (c), 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Mark Wilson, 5 George Kruis, 4 Courtney Lawes, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ben Moon
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Harry Williams, 19 Joe Launchbury, 20 Brad Shields, 21 Dan Robson, 22 George Ford, 23 Joe Cokanasiga
Date: Saturday, February 23
Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-off: 16:45 GMT
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Jérôme Garcès (France), Alexandre Ruiz (France)
Television match official: Simon McDowell (Ireland)