England v Wales: Five talking points ahead of Rugby World Cup clash
Last Updated: 26/09/15 8:06pm
All eyes will be on Twickenham on Saturday night as England and Wales do battle in a crucial Rugby World Cup clash.
Both teams opened with bonus-point victories last weekend but they know major improvement is required as the battle for a top-two finish in Pool A moves up a notch.
England came from behind to defeat Wales in Cardiff in this year's Six Nations but there is possibly more riding on the 127th meeting between the countries, with the loser facing an uphill task to reach the knockout stages.
Ahead of Saturday's renewal of this great rivalry, we look at five key talking points.
Farrell at No 10
On the face of it, it looks like England have gone back to type after dropping playmaker George Ford for Owen Farrell at fly-half.
Stuart Lancaster has been accused of panicking and foregoing any sort of creative flair in favour of a more defensive game-plan.
The injury to centre Jonathan Joseph probably forced Lancaster's hand as he has no like-for-like replacement and a change in centre (see below) meant his tactics had to change.
Farrell will not let England down with the boot and while he may not have the flair or vision of Ford, England have been caught out before by the power game that Wales can offer, and defensively Farrell will have the No 10 channel all sewn up.
Centre of attention (again!)
Another England game and another different centre partnership for England. This time Brad Barritt moves to outside centre while Sam Burgess starts at 12.
Burgess and Barritt are certainly a stodgier looking partnership and Wales centre Scott Williams has claimed that he would rather play against the more direct running Burgess than a fleet-of-foot Joseph.
Burgess response to Williams was: "Who's that?" The fires have been truly stoked.
With the powerful Jamie Roberts also lining up against England in midfield it is going to be one heck of a bruising battlefield.
However, Williams has a vast skill set and his elusive running and passing game could offset the battering ram and offload game that England look set to use.
Breakdown battle
England really struggled to get the better of Fiji at the breakdown and this will be an area of concern for them against a superb Wales back row.
Against Sam Warburton, Dan Lydiate and Taulupe Faletau, England's Chris Robshaw, Tom Wood and Billy Vunipola will need to really improve their work on the ground.
Vunipola will be expected to be at his ball-carrying best to get England on the front foot. Lydiate, the master of the chop tackle, will be waiting for him. Wales also have the outstanding Justin Tipuric on the bench.
Balance of the bench
With impact players playing such a huge role these days, getting your bench right is paramount.
England's looks a little one-sided with only George Ford capable of bringing a different direction if their Plan A is not working out.
Richard Wigglesworth is an interesting inclusion as cover for Ben Youngs. Tactically Wigglesworth is one of the best scrum-halves around and has a sweet left boot, however Danny Care possibly provides more of an impact and his quick taps are often game changers.
The set-piece
England's set-piece struggled against Fiji - and in the warm-up matches - and they will need to really get their tactics right against a strong Wales tight-five.
Referee Jerome Garces prides himself on how he referees the scrums and both sides will need to adapt quickly to his interpretations to gain dominance.
Joe Marler will be targeting Tomas Francis, who makes only his third start, but Wales also have the excellent Samson Lee on the bench.
Pressure will also be on Tom Youngs in the lineout - another area where England have stuttered, while Geoff Parling and Courtney Lawes will be keenly challenged by Alun Wyn Jones and Bradley Davies.
England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Brad Barritt, 12 Sam Burgess, 11 Jonny May, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Youngs; 1 Joe Marler, 2 Tom Youngs, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Geoff Parling, 5 Courtney Lawes, 6 Tom Wood, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 8 Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: 16 Rob Webber, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Joe Launchbury, 20 James Haskell, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 George Ford, 23 Alex Goode.
Wales: 15 Liam Williams, 14 George North, 13 Scott Williams, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Hallam Amos, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Gareth Davies; 1 Gethin Jenkins, 2 Scott Baldwin, 3 Tomas Francis, 4 Bradley Davies, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 6 Dan Lydiate, 7 Sam Warburton (c), 8 Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Aaron Jarvis, 18 Samson Lee, 19 Luke Charteris, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Alex Cuthbert.