It was the Grand Slam decider for England and the Championship decider for Wales, needless to say last year’s England
versus Wales RBS 6 Nations Fixture had a huge amount riding on it. The build-up was as large as the pyrotechnic fest that greeted the players as they ran onto the
pitch however what followed for England was a performance distinctly lacking in fireworks, in fact I'd go so far as to say that it was their worst 80 minutes of rugby for a long time. In order to provide a complete preview to this weekend's epic clash I felt the need to put myself
through the agony of watching that massacre again… why I hear you ask? Well, I
needed to see just how far both teams have come since then and let me tell you as an
England Rugby fan it is just as painful to watch nearly one year on!
I've thought long and hard about
what to take away from last year’s smashing in Cardiff and have decided actually
not to read too much into it and I’ll tell you why; on 16th
March 2013 England did not turn up it was as plain and simple as that… Wales on
the other hand played as if their lives depended on it and the result was a
lost Grand Slam for England and one of the best Welsh wins that the Millennium
Stadium has ever seen.
Already this year’s RBS 6 Nations has shown us that both teams are in different places to last; Wales haven’t been quite as dominant or consistent as expected given the wealth of talent within their ranks. Now obviously I understand that there may be an amount of Lions fatigue there however I think most of us expected them to ride this out and play every other side off the park regardless. Individuals within the Welsh squad have been outstanding and it was only against France that we really saw their collective power coming together however I still don’t believe that they are quite the force to be reckoned with that they have been.
England's first round slip up against France feels like a long time ago, since then they have matured and the match against Ireland illustrated to everyone just how much they mean business right here, right now in 2014. Many may look at the set piece and think that this could be England's undoing in this huge clash, and they are right to focus on it, however do not discount the quality of the English forwards and the fact that they will undoubtedly raise their game to another level once again this weekend.
I am well aware that before England
hosted Ireland I politely declined to predict the result and instead sat on the fence however this week I am going to
put my neck on the line and sway in favour of Stuart Lancaster’s men. This is
not plain patriotism; this is due to the current form of both sides as I have briefly highlighted
above and the significance of the fixture for Stuart Lancaster’s
men. What do I mean by the significance of the fixture? Well, there is not only
the small matter of avenging last year’s demolition and healing those Cardiff shaped wounds, there
is also the added importance of gaining winning memories at Twickenham over Warren Gatland's side because the next time
these two meet there it will be in Pool A of the home Rugby World Cup.
England are a different side to last
year, they have experienced an awful lot together and are undoubtedly a better
side for it. Now, please don't get me wrong, I am not for one moment discounting the force of Welsh threat... a squad that boasts the likes of Halfpenny, Warburton, North, Roberts, Hibbard, Faletau and so many more needs to be taken very seriously and I fully expect it to go down to the wire. However if Stuart Lancaster’s men
build on that outstanding performance against Ireland then in my eyes there is no reason why
Twickenham will not be roaring Swing Low Sweet Chariot in joy come the final
whistle on Sunday afternoon.
