You have to weather the Cardiff storm of hostility

Playing on Welsh turf presents a psychological challenge for the team, as well as a tactical one

by what was coming helped enormously. The England players who have not played in Cardiff should be aware of the background rivalry, nay enmity, they will face.

They should not worry, but nor should they be caught unaware. The feud has many origins. In rugby terms and for the older England fan, it goes back to having to listen to endless lectures – and Max Boyce – about the great Welsh side of the 1970s. For the Welsh, it comes in facing a far wealthier and larger playing population.

Politically, the countries are opposites and Brexit has drawn some snorts of English derision. Patronising and arrogant or chippy and parochial – take your pick and choose your weapon.

The rugby questions are no less problematic. Warren Gatland, the Wales coach, decided to play a side with 10 changes against Italy. That means the XV who start against England will be rested and fresh. That said, it means the first-choice side will have had only one half of good rugby so far, and that was against the French.

England’s likely XV will have been through two hard games; they could be jaded or battleproven.

Whoever Wales choose at half-back, they must equal the tactical nous shown by Ben Youngs and Owen Farrell. This will be a pivotal battle within the game.

The wider contest that needs to be won is between Shaun Edwards’s defensive strategy for Wales and the potent ball-carrying and kick-chase game England have developed.

Knowing Shaun a little, I have been able to discuss defensive matters with him, but tangential to any systems is his diktat that his defences “get up there and smack the -----”.

But, you can only cover so many things as a defence; you have to choose and occasionally gamble. For every grubber kick covered there will be less rushing pressure; ensuring Manu Tuilagi does not get a run at an inside shoulder means no slide defence, with the possibility of the full-back giving an automatic overlap – and so it goes …

Wales will have worked out how to counter England’s strengths, but can England recognise where this necessarily presents opportunities and react accordingly?

Wales have not yet sparked but possess their own armoury. Can England replicate their immense defensive demolition of Ireland and France, but do so without giving penalties away?

Within this question is the psychological issue first highlighted in this piece. You must be furious enough to be utterly committed to the battle and to sustain you through the storm that comes. You do not want to be overstimulated and be reckless and unthinking. Getting this balance right will go as far as anything in deciding who still has Grand Slam dreams.