Time for England to make Twickenham RUMBLE
THE discomfort zone beckons for England and Wales as the hosts try to start rebuilding their Twickenham citadel and their rivals seek to end a dozen years of Six Nations pain there.
Rugby’s best of enemies will renew hostilities this afternoon amid an English mission to regain lost home advantage, while the visitors are on the rebound after losing against Scotland in Cardiff, despite a stirring, logic-defying fightback.
On both sides, new-era optimism is fragile and it is on the line. Something has to give.
In their last 10 Tests at Twickenham, England have won three, drawn one and lost six, including a shock defeat by Fiji in late August last year.
Rewind five months and they were being put to the sword by France, who romped to a recordbreaking 53-10 triumph.
No wonder Warren Gatland claims he and his men don’t fear this assignment, but Wales have not stormed the ramparts and plundered a prize — in the annual championship — since Scott Williams’ smash-and-grab try back in 2012.
Yet they won’t expect partisan hostility, unless Project Fortress delivers an instant transformation at the behest of new England captain Jamie George.
He and other senior players have negotiated changes to the matchday experience, approved by the RFU, with a view to making the English national stadium a more forbidding place for outsiders. But can it be an intimidating arena? Time will tell but that is decidedly doubtful.
It will take more than a longer team walk through the car park to achieve that.
Both countries are awash with next-generation talent but this cannot just be the start of a long development pathway which leads to the 2027 World Cup. The here-and-now task of becoming Six Nations contenders again must be the primary objective.
England and Wales have become mid-table teams, a long way adrift of Ireland and some distance behind France too.
Since finishing top of the pile in 2021, Wales have twice ended up fifth in the table, and England’s placings have been unacceptable: fourth in 2023, third in 2022 and fifth in 2021.
In the world rankings, England are fifth and Wales eighth, which supports the impression that the hosts could potentially emerge from the peloton to make a charge. With Ireland coming to Twickenham next month, a big win today would create a heightened sense of English hope that a title shot is not beyond them.
This fixture always generates some tension and it is evident today.
The presence of Cardiff-born and raised Immanuel Feyi-Waboso in England’s matchday 23 will act as a red rag to the Welsh bull. Gatland has been openly unimpressed by the rookie Exeter wing’s defection but Steve Borthwick is adamant that the new sensation is calm and unflustered by the added scrutiny.
England under Borthwick are definitely not inclined to indulge in pre-match mind games. There is no chance of this head coach calling out Ioan Lloyd as Eddie Jones called out Rhys Patchell back in 2018.
But the hosts will have the rookie Welsh 10 in their cross-hairs, no matter how little they wish to discuss that fact.
Felix Jones is trying to fine-tune an aggressive English blitz and Gatland says he knows how to get around it — quite literally, perhaps, as Italy did. But Borthwick is adamant that the sort of mistakes which occurred in Rome last weekend will not lead to internal inquests and damnation.
His ‘no fear’ mantra is based on letting players grow and excusing mistakes. If he truly means that and implements it, the fascination will be to see if it helps England cast off the shackles. There has already been proof of what a Welsh liberation looks like, so home fans will pack the stands today and cross their fingers for evidence of an English one too.
Before the familiar foes collide again, fans at Twickenham will unite to acclaim ‘the King’, Barry John — who died last week — along with another recentlydeparted Wales icon, JPR Williams, and former England captain Mike Weston.
A minute’s applause for these legends will add poignancy in the build-up to another thunderous tribal conflict.
The danger for England today is that Wales will become galvanised by a fervent desire to honour the memories of their two oval-ball greats.
But to do so, they must overcome an experience deficit. That factor is best summed up by the prospect of Lloyd — who has played more in the back three than at fly-half — facing off against George Ford, a savvy specialist who will move within seven caps of his Test century.
It is also reflected in the contrasting captains.
GEORGE, aged 33, is a trophy-winning, medal-hoarding Lion. Dafydd Jenkins, aged 21, is still new to Exeter’s pack, let alone the Wales team.
These rival nations are both in rebuild mode, but the Welsh overhaul is even more profound than England’s revamp. Without Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Biggar, Ken Owens, Justin Tipuric and other stalwarts of their latest golden age, the visitors may lack the streetwise ability to get under the skin of these opponents, as they did so often in the recent past.
Wales are hoping to tap into the optimism generated by their startling fightback from the depths of a 27-0 deficit to so nearly stun Scotland in Cardiff last week. Lloyd at 10, his half-back partner Tomos Williams and the rampaging No 8 Aaron Wainwright will aim to pick up where they left off, and Tommy Reffell is equipped to cause England all manner of trouble at the breakdown. George North’s return in midfield should also give the Welsh additional gain-line carrying clout.
The hosts will hope Ethan Roots brings an abrasive edge up front as the flanker did on his debut in Rome, and Borthwick will also believe that his team can claim a set-piece edge which will propel them to victory.
Ford will strive to unleash the likes of Tommy Freeman in open space, to build on fleeting glimpses of enhanced creative intent last weekend.
That, rather than enhanced defensive aggression, is what will ignite the Twickenham crowd — which is such a clear objective for George and his team-mates, as well as claiming the probable victory which would maintain positive new-era momentum.
Here’s hoping both sides honour John by producing some daring rugby that the maestro would admire.