England will be looking for a far better performance than the one they produced against Italy in Rome last weekend when they take on the Welsh at Rugby HQ this Saturday evening.
Six Nations
England v Wales
Saturday 10 February – 18:45
Twickenham
Both teams are embarking on massive squad rebuilds, and while it is unlikely either will challenge Ireland for this year’s title, both sets of fans will be eager to see their sides make some progress that offers a glimpse at a far brighter future.
To Win Match
England 1/5 | Draw 33/1 | Wales 7/2
Handicap
England (-12.5) 9/10 | Wales (+12.5) 9/10
While Italy have gotten better in recent times, England’s one-point victory over the Azzurri will not offer their fans much encouragement, especially their first-half showing with the English heading into the half-time sheds trailing 17-14.
The second stanza didn’t see a vast improvement from the Red Roses, although they did manage to make slight tweaks to their defensive system which made them far less vulnerable down the wings than they had been in the first half.
A rather controversial try and a couple of penalties would hand them a 24-27 win but there must be some very nervous men sitting in the RFU boardrooms this week wondering if head coach Steve Borthwick is the man to orchestrate this mammoth rebuild.
Like the English, the Welsh staged a second-half comeback this past weekend but fell a point short of beating Scotland.
Having trailed 0-20 at the break, a slew of changes from Warren Gatland would inspire his team into action as they mauled and crashed their way back into proceedings.
While they would ultimately lose the fixture 27-26, there’s a lot of encouragement for Gatland and co to take from their opener, particularly the performances of some of their subs who made massive impacts when coming on.
In terms of team news for this one, the English camp are said to be looking at making minimal changes while the Welsh have already announced their matchday 23 which includes some big changes to the starting 15 with Tomos Williams and Loan Lloyd coming into the nine and ten roles, while veteran George North returns at outside centre. The Welsh have also opted to freshen things up upfront with an entirely new front row named for Saturday’s clash.
Verdict: Wales (+12.5) 9/10
I fancy an upset here. England are not a good time and while this Dragons side is an inexperienced one, I think they are the better of the two sides. As always, if you’re looking for a bit more security, take the Welsh on a very nice double-digit plus.
