It may be a World Cup warmup match, but an encounter between Wales and England is always something special and an occasion to be savoured. This weekend is no exception, as these two great rivals meet at Twickenham and with it all the atmosphere that such matches bring. For Wales the goal will be to continue the momentum they built up as Six Nations Grand Slam Champions, and while England are probably more focused on getting their squad in order for the World Cup, there is also the small matter of avenging that defeat in Cardiff earlier this year.
Wales run with a trusty group of players and it would appear that they know the squad they want to take to Japan. What is perhaps of greater concern to them, much more so than England, is the risk of injury – as lose any of these players and all of a sudden the Welsh depth tank starts to look a bit empty. England on the other hand have no such problems, and consequently are clearly looking to this match and probably the other three this month to find out a bit more about the depth they have available to them. To that effect, for those of us not familiar with English club rugby there are quite a few names on the team sheet we simply know very little about. However, there are also plenty of familiar faces who haven’t quite had an opportunity to shine in an England jersey so far this year, and who will be really keen to lay down a marker that they deserve a seat on the plane to Tokyo.
Consequently, although this match may not mean that much in terms of what is at stake for the teams as a whole, there will be plenty on the line for some of the individual players involved to ensure that it is a highly entertaining contest. Here are the main question marks that came up for us heading into the match.
England vs Wales – Sunday, August 11th – Twickenham
Wales are clearly looking to this match to keep their momentum going in what has been a remarkably successful year. If they come away unbeaten in the course of the next four weeks, then the label of dark horse will be replaced by genuine contenders at the global showpiece in Japan next month. Expectations will be high and even with no silverware on offer for this match, rest assured that an opportunity for Wales to turn over England at Fortress Twickenham will be high on the agenda of players and supporters alike.
The question is will this slightly experimental English side let them have their way, and does Coach Eddie Jones even really care about Sunday’s result? Obviously he would not want to see his charges made a mockery of by the Welsh, but the win while potential icing on the cake, is probably not his main focus on Sunday. Instead it is a last chance for some players to stick their hands up for World Cup selection as he intends to name his World Cup squad this Monday. On that note you have to wonder how fair that is to some of the players who have hardly had a chance till now to prove themselves. Put your hands up if you know anything about Lewis Ludlum, Joe Marchant, Jack Singleton, Ruaridh McConnochie and the biggest surprise Willi Heinz. From a depth perspective it will be fascinating to see what hidden gems England are about to uncover.
There are no surprises from either sides in the front rows at least
The only possible omission being Jamie George and Kyle Sinckler for England, but otherwise it’s business as usual for both sides at the coalface. However, given England’s shambolic performance in their last Six Nations match against Scotland, perhaps the absence of George and Sinckler is no bad thing. England still bring plenty of familiarity in their offering, though we still wonder at the disciplinary liability that Joe Marler presents for England. The Welsh front row though needs no introduction and played a large part in Wales’ successful Six Nations campaign this year. As a result it presents a golden opportunity for England’s representatives to really make their case to Eddie Jones if they can keep the Men in White competitive here.
Where England need make no excuses is in the back row
If Tom Curry, Sam Underhill and Billy Vunipola are not on the plane to Japan, then something will be seriously amiss in Eddie Jones’ thinking. We very much doubt that these three gentlemen have anything whatsoever to prove to their boss on Sunday. Wales pack some heavyweights here, especially in one of the Lineout’s all time favourite players Justin Tipuric, as well as the long awaited return to Welsh service of Aaron Shingler who had to sit out the Six Nations due to injury. Nevertheless, we can’t help feeling that the English trio is the more dynamic and could really build the platform England needs to go on the offensive.
Who is Willi Heinz and is a game against Wales the right place to make his mark?
Sure the Kiwi, now England qualified, scrum half had a very successful domestic season with Gloucester, but on the European stage Gloucester fared very poorly raising question marks about his ability to handle high stakes matches with an international flavour. Furthermore, given the depth of resources in England, you have to wonder about Eddie Jones obsession with bringing in ostensibly overseas talent. Agreed other teams are doing it, but they with the exception of possibly France, have much smaller player bases – not the case in England. We would have thought that this would have been a golden opportunity to put Ben Spencer or Dan Robison to the test. Don’t get us wrong, we are not anti foreign born players by any stretch of the imagination, but given the depth of resources in England we still find this a slightly strange call so close to the World Cup.
As this is the last chance to have a look before the World Cup, we are amazed at the omission of Danny Cipriani at fly half
Sure George Ford rescued England at the death from a humiliating defeat at Twickenham by Scotland in the last match of the Six Nations, but in reality that has been his only claim to fame for quite some time now. His club Leicester Tigers have become the laughing stock of both the English Premiership and the European Champions Cup, and we find it hard to believe that he is the best England has to offer outside of Owen Farrell in the position. Despite the English public’s love/hate relationship with Cipriani, there is no denying he brings plenty of imagination and unpredictability to the position, something you would think England could really do with at the World Cup. By the same token is this George Ford’s last chance to shine? Has Jones already made up his mind to surprise everyone and simply announce on Monday he is taking Cipriani without having the need to look at him in an England jersey? The plot thickens!
The return of Joe Cokanasiga is something everyone wants to see
England’s supposed wonder weapon on the wing had to live in the shadow of the outstanding Jonny May the last time these two sides met in the Six Nations, and was sorely missed against Scotland. Quite why the turbocharged winger finds it so hard to find favour with Eddie Jones is a mystery. However, of one thing you can be certain, he is unlikely to let his chance to be noticed go missing on Sunday. Once again though we are scratching our heads at him starting on the bench, though we have a hunch we are likely to see him much sooner than we did the last time he was included in Welsh and English festivities. Is this, like the Cipriani question, another case of Jones not wanting to show his hand? Either way we’re looking forward to seeing Cokanasiga having an opportunity to scorch some turf on Sunday!
Verdict
This is a very good Welsh team – plain and simple, who are going to be very hard to beat on Sunday. They know each other exceptionally well, have the benefit of a winning culture behind them and know the kind of game they want to play and their roles and responsibilities in implementing it. England’s slightly eclectic mix of talented but unfamiliar players don’t quite have the same gel factor. Despite home advantage it’s England with everything to prove, but for once they may be genuinely relishing the underdog tag which could ultimately work to their advantage. Having said that however, we find it hard to imagine such an accomplished Welsh unit getting caught off guard by England on Sunday. Wales are more than likely to play it safe against an English team they are probably unsure of in terms of what to expect. However, the Welsh defence has been absolutely watertight this year, and despite whatever surprises this English team may have up their sleeves, Wales are likely to be too hard of a nut to crack on Sunday. Consequently, in what should be an entertaining match with England doing most of the attacking, we’re handing it to the Welsh defence to keep things safe and in order for the Men in Red by four points!
The Lineout 
England vs Wales was the best warmups match of RWC 2019
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In terms of quality, absolutely though the Ireland/Wales fixture could also be worth watching if Ireland finally wake from their stupor and decide to come to the party!
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