England and Wales square off at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham this weekend in what should be another gripping encounter between the historic rivals.<\/p>\n
The sides almost come into the Championship at opposite ends of the spectrum.<\/p>\n
England<\/a> are basking in a glorious run of form, winning their past 11 Tests and downing the likes of the All Blacks, Argentina, France and Australia in that time too, and are looking like one of the early favourites to take home the title this year. That does, however, put a lot of pressure on them to deliver this Six Nations<\/a>, especially with a possible Grand Slam decider against France lined up for the final weekend.<\/p>\n Steve Borthwick has been forced into a few changes to his wider squad compared to the autumn, with three uncapped players included, while the likes of Bevan Rodd and Trevor Davison return, but he has also received a major boost in the form of George Furbank coming back to full fitness.<\/p>\n On the other hand, Wales<\/a> are yet again in a state of flux with off-field issues plaguing the build-up, and while wins have come their way against Japan also suffered their heaviest-ever home defeat in their last Test outing against South Africa. Steve Tandy\u2019s main injury concern comes in the form of Jac Morgan, who will miss the Six Nations entirely through a shoulder issue, while Kieron Assiratti also picked up a knock in camp, but he still has a decent squad at his disposal with the likes of Dewi Lake, Louis Rees-Zammit and Adam Beard among the group.<\/p>\n But, as has been proved across the past few years, the form book goes out of the window when it comes to England and Wales Tests. The near-neighbours have enjoyed some utterly breathtaking moments in their respective outings against one another, and will once again be looking for something similar this weekend.<\/p>\n Where the game will be won<\/p>\n This game could very easily come down to whichever bench has the greatest impact.<\/p>\n As proved across their Autumn Nations Series campaign, England have worked really hard on this area to turn it into a weapon to blow teams away come the final exchanges. Once again, Borthwick has named a strong replacements list consisting of five British and Irish Lions tourists, which again suggests he will be targeting those latter stages and put their foot on Wales\u2019 throat.<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n But, Wales have also named a decent bench, and importantly have matched England with a 6:2 split as well. Within it, Tomos Francis is a welcome returnee to the Test side, given his experience at this level, Liam Belcher\u2019s and Harri Deaves\u2019 abrasive nature will give England\u2019s pack a proper run for their money in the tight, while Mason Grady will also add some punch to the backline. As a unit, though, they will need to really step things up another gear to stem the flow should the Pom Squad match their levels from November.<\/p>\n If they do that, Wales could have a shot. If not, England might run away with it.<\/p>\n Last time they met<\/p>\n What they said<\/p>\n England v Wales is one of the most eagerly anticipated Tests of any Six Nations campaign, and Borthwick was quick to point out the significance of it.<\/p>\n \u201cEngland versus Wales is always a special occasion in the rugby calendar,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a fierce rivalry with a long history, and one that brings a huge challenge every time we meet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe expect Wales to bring a kicking game, so we\u2019ll need to be accurate in how we respond to that challenge. For us, our focus is on executing our game plan and maintaining discipline throughout the match.<\/p>\n Wales team winners and losers: Louis Rees-Zammit given \u2018preferred role\u2019 while All Blacks history maker a \u2018stand-out absence\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re excited to get the Championship underway at a packed-out Allianz Stadium. The support we receive at home is outstanding and always gives the players a huge lift.\u201d<\/p>\n Tandy echoed the thoughts of his counterpart, saying: \u201cWales v England is always a special game with all the history behind the fixture. We know they\u2019re playing some outstanding rugby and they\u2019re in great form. But I know how much it means to our players playing for the nation and representing Wales,\u201d the head coach said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way the squad trained this week has been great. I want to see us get out and really attack the game on Saturday and give the best account of ourselves. Opening the Six Nations at Twickenham is historic and it\u2019s something we can\u2019t wait to do.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the eye-catching selections within his 23-man squad was the return of Scarlets back-rower Josh Macleod, and Tandy was full of praise for his form in recent weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cJosh has had some rough luck with injuries, but the way he\u2019s come back, the way he leads, his attention to detail around his week plan, the way he trains, the intensity he brings to everything he does is excellent,\u201d he said in a glowing appraisal.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be awesome to see him on the weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n Players to watch<\/p>\n Henry Arundell\u00a0was one of the headline names included in the run-on group, especially with this being his first Test start since the World Cup, but this seems a ready-made opportunity for him. The Bath back\u2019s electric pace is such an asset to have in this attack, and could seriously open the game up in broken field. His selection also suggests England are looking to go for a more ball-in-hand attack this weekend, rather than the tactical kicking game that worked over the November series, which is certainly worth keeping an eye on.<\/p>\n A lot has been made of\u00a0Tommy Freeman\u2019s\u00a0switch into midfield, but he could have a major impact this weekend against Wales. His ability to spot a gap, time his run and power through the gainline should give England some genuine punch in attack, and he combines that well with genuine speed as well. Even when deployed out wide, he seemed to thrive in those narrower pockets of space around the 13 channel, so sliding him over and unleashing him in that slot full-time will only have a greater impact.<\/p>\n Loosehead prop Ellis Genge\u00a0also comes into the Six Nations in arguably career-best form, winning PREM Player of the Month back in December, and will only carry that into the England jersey. His explosive carrying, both in the loose and the more traditional tight spaces props find themselves in, could help Borthwick\u2019s side consistently break through the gainline, and only backs that up in the scrum too.<\/p>\n Bristol back Louis Rees-Zammit\u00a0also makes his Six Nations return for the first time since 2023, and will likely play a key role as a result. He is a genuine X-factor player in attack, and importantly, offers a genuine threat on the counter-attack that Wales have been missing for a while. His selection at full-back certainly raises a few eyebrows, but it also allows him to get his hands on the ball in broken field as he has done so well for Bristol.<\/p>\n Tomos Williams will also likely play a major role in Wales\u2019 attack, and possibly even take over as their chief playmaker. His desire to play at tempo and attack space suits the sort of gameplan that Tandy is hoping to play moving forwards, but backs that up with a serious threat of his own around the ruck, be it in the carry or with his deft offloading.<\/p>\n Skipper Dewi Lake\u00a0has also proved himself as a focal point of his side\u2019s pack for some time now, and will once again be needed to step up. His abrasive nature in the tight, on both sides of the ball, just gives Wales serious steel, and crucially, his efforts just set the tone for the rest of the group. Lake\u2019s leadership will also be pivotal.<\/p>\n Main head-to-head<\/p>\n The clash at number eight between Ben Earl and\u00a0Aaron Wainwright\u00a0should set the Allianz pitch alight this weekend.<\/p>\n Earl\u2019s raw pace and power make him a serious threat in broken field and on the counter-attack, often finding himself as an extra centre in the process, but it seemed he re-added the gritty efforts in the tight back to his game in the autumn and should once again be that battering ram in that area.<\/p>\n Likewise, Wainwright is your more traditional big bopper at the bookend of the forward group. His unrelenting work in attack will be so pivotal to any success Wales will have up front, particularly in the tight exchanges, and he will likely be their principal ball-carrier.<\/p>\n