Come Friday all the talking will have been done, not that the pre-match hype hasn’t been entertainment in itself. Warren Gatland ensured there will be an extra kick in an already spicy match by his persistent criticism of England hooker Dylan Hartley; a move which riled Martin Johnson to join in the war of words and accuse his counterpart of trying to cover his own sides recent poor form. “they are under pressure as a team in terms of their performances and not winning a game for a while, it was not unexpected” said Johnson of Gatland’s outburst. England were given a head-start before the game had even started by Gatland’s inopportune comments; a self-imposed media exile by the head coach was probably the best news Wales have had all week.
If the former England Captain is right in asserting it is the Welsh who are under pressure, then his side will have a certain amount of empathy once their rugby boots cross the white line and into the white-hot cauldron at the Millennium Stadium. A Friday night Six Nations opener against Wales with the Millennium Stadium roof potentially closed? England’s battle may lie in their heads rather than their hands and feet.
Aside from the entertaining back-and-forth between Gatland and Johnson, the build-up to the much anticipated match has been dominated by injury. Both sides have been hit at the very heart of any team – the forwards.
Wales will find themselves going up against a historically strong England pack without their British & Irish Lions prop’s Adam Jones and Gethin Jenkins. It’s impossible to underestimate how much of a loss this is to Wales and with the emphasis put on the Welsh forwards by their coach to give Hartley a difficult time, their replacements will find an already difficult task much harder. Paul James and Craig Mitchell will likely be their replacements, and with only 16 caps between them, the front row of Andrew Sheridan, Dylan Hartley and Dan Cole will make their experience count where it remains the most valuable of commodities. The England pack will look to rumble forward and assert themselves early on in the game against James and Mitchell, giving a platform for their newly-freed backline to operate from.
England have problems in their own pack, most notably the second row and the flankers. The loss of Captain Lewis Moody, fellow flanker Tom Croft and Courtney Lawes in the second row will mean England may have to approach the game in a more one-dimensional style. Lawes’s mobility, strength and ability to take the ball through the heart of the Welsh defensive line is key to Ben Youngs getting quick ball to release the English backline. In Moody and Croft they have lost energy at the breakdown and James Haskell will do well to replicate Croft’s success in the lineout. Northampton flanker Tom Wood is set to make his debut in place of Moody. It’s a baptism of fire for the 24-year-old and Moody’s shoes are large ones to fill. With such a loss of creativity and energy England may well be expected to play more conservatively, but will do so at their peril.
The rampaging Andy Powell , revitalised during his time at Wasps will look for every opportunity to get at the English backline, with superstar centre Jamie Roberts hoping to replicate the form that helped him earn a call-up to the British & Irish Lions squad that toured South Africa in 2009. James Hook has proved himself as a world-class player and relishes playing against England, and will hope to repeat his 2007 heroics, where his kicking and running skills were on full display to help Wales on their way to a 27-18 win.
The English back line are not without their virtues either, and the combination of Chris Ashton, Mark Cueto and Ben Foden that set English pulses racing during the Autumn internationals will be hopeful of doing so again against Wales.
If nothing else, the injuries sustained by both squads have served to make the game even more compelling, and while England will look to establish themselves through the forwards and with the boot before unleashing the running talents of their backs, Wales will try and counter-attack and catch England cold with quick turnovers and the pace of Shane Williams and Lee Byrne. In boxing, the phrase “styles makes a fight” is often used to describe two opponents whose attributes together are conducive to an attractive fight -the same can be said of Wales v England.
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