Second-placed England face bottom side Wales hoping to secure the win they need to claim the Six Nations crown. France still have the advantage so the English will be hoping Scotland can do them a favour by beating them at the Stade de France later on Saturday.
In the meantime, though, England will be hoping to put full pressure on France by beating a disappointing Wales outfit on their own patch.
WALES VS ENGLAND PREVIEW
England sit one point and one place behind Six Nations leaders France and will be hoping they slip up in their later game against Scotland.
Meanwhile, Wales will be hoping to avoid finishing bottom for the second successive campaign. They are just one point behind Italy above them, with the Italians hosting a competitive Irish side in their final game.
Marcus Smith missed England’s straightforward win against Italy last time out but will return to the starting XV against Wales.
Meanwhile, Tommy Freeman will move from wing to outside centre in his 20th Test appearance for the Red and Whites. He will replace Ollie Lawrence, who misses the game through an Achilles injury.
Elliot Daly shifts to the wing, with Ollie Sleightholme being replaced by Tom Roebuck on the other.
In the forward line, brothers Tom and Ben Curry will be partnered on the flank. Ben Earl moves back to number eight and Luke Cowan-Dickie will play as hooker.
Joe Roberts and Aaron Wainwright are the two starting changes for Wales, with Roberts replacing Tom Rogers on the wing and Wainwright replacing Tommy Reffell in the back row.
WALES VS ENGLAND PREDICTIONS
Wales Win
Wales’ performances under interim head coach Matt Sherratt have certainly improved. Since he started managing the side, they pushed both Ireland (18-27) and Scotland (35-29) close, despite being defeated both times.
Last year, England only just won (16-14) and that was on their home turf. They could falter on the road.
England Win
Despite all this, England know a win will keep their Six Nations hopes alive. They go into this game off the back of three successive wins, including a comprehensive 47-24 mauling of Italy last time out. Grabbing a bonus point will also boost their chances against a Welsh side that have not won in the Six Nations since 2023.
WALES VS ENGLAND – BETTING TIPS
England Win
With Wales’ form and England’s improvement, it’s hard to look beyond an away win here. With England knowing that a bonus point win will keep the pressure on league leaders France, expect a comfortable victory for Steve Borthwick’s men.
Added to this is that Wales are on an eight-match losing streak at the Principality Stadium in the Six Nations and all signs point to an England success.
England to Win by 11-20 Points
Seven of England’s most recent nine victories over Wales have come by single digit margins. The last one saw England beat Wales by just a two-point margin (16-14).
However, England will need a bonus point victory and I expect them to score the tries to get it. They won’t steamroller Wales though. Wales’ last three defeats have all come by single digit margins while England have not scored four or more tries against the Welsh in the Six Nations since 2001.
WALES VS ENGLAND – HEAD-TO-HEAD AND KEY STATS
Wales and England have played each other 142 times, with Wales winning on 61 occasions and England 69.
England have won nine of their last 11 Six Nations matches against Wales.
England have won seven of their last 10 matches against Wales and four of their last five.
Wales have not won in 16 successive games.
Wales are looking to avoid winning the wooden spoon for the second successive year.
