Wing worry
Ways England will use boot to exploit Rees-zammit
Kick-passes
Wales tend to defend with their full-back and either a fly-half or a scrum-half in the backfield. Their wings usually stay up flat in the front line, so 20-year-old Louis Rees-zammit is unlikely to be exposed to too many box-kicks or up-and-unders. Those will be left to a pair of specialist bomb-diffusers in Liam Williams and Dan Biggar. Still, expect Jonny May – usually a roaming presence when England have the ball – to loiter in the five-metre channel during phase-play as a target for the kick-passing of George Ford and Owen Farrell in case Rees-zammit creeps narrow.
Restarts
For opposition restarts, Reeszammit will be in front of the Wales 22. His role will be to come forward to help out the prop and lock in front of him. Midway through the second half at Murrayfield, Scotland aimed one over his way. Rees-zammit fumbled, encouraging Wales to deploy Taulupe Faletau with him for the rest of the game. In his side’s win over Italy, Ford took the restarts. He struck them flat, allowing Maro Itoje to challenge Montanna Ioane. This may be the best hope of creating a one-on-one against Rees-zammit.
Positioning
A back line containing Ben Youngs, Ford, Farrell, Henry Slade and Elliot Daly will manipulate opposition wings because of its sheer number of kicking options. When Wales have just one player in the backfield, watch for England lining up playmakers on both sides of a ruck. If the full-back moves away from Rees-zammit’s side, they may well swing towards him. Then, he has to decide between pressing up or staying on his heels in case of a kick in behind. Rees-zammit is still learning about the “pendulum” system and was indecisive against Scotland ahead of Stuart Hogg’s first
try.