The players are going through their pre-match preparations. Some atmosphere building in Cardiff.
Half an hour to kick-off and the local fans are getting settled.
England’s trio of debutants
Here what Steve Borthwick had to say about his three rookies.
Tom Pearson
“I chat to coaches regularly and lots tell me how they would name Tom as a target in their gameplan because they need to nullify his effect. It’s a big sign of strength that a guy could be targeted like that yet still have an effect on the game. He set the standards early on in terms of his physical condition in camp, which was exciting to see and helped boost everyone as well as raise the levels.”
Theo Dan
“The first time I rang Theo and spoke to him, I had Jamie George on the phone an hour or two later saying Theo had gone straight to him asking questions. Theo was asking Jamie what he needed to do to improve, and that tells me a lot about his hunger. He’s a talented player and we all saw the calibre of his character in the Premiership final to come on in the 10th minute and perform in the manner he did. I thought that was exceptional.”
Tom Willis
“I have been a big fan of Tom’s for a long period of time. I tracked him through his time in France last year. He came in for a day during the Six Nations. Tom carries the ball aggressively, wants the ball in his hands and he did that time and time again in the Top 14. When I spoke to Top 14 coaches, they would all talk about him as a stand-out player. There’s something about him and he’s done really well in camp.”
‘Mature’ Pearson deserves debut
Kevin Sinfield has hailed Tom Pearson’s tunnel vision in setting aside his London Irish turbulence to earn an England debut.
Pearson will make his Test bow today, where he can state a final case for selection for the tournament in France, having secured a deal at Northampton for next season and Sinfield praised the back-rower for ignoring his personal worries to focus on his England quest.
“Tom Pearson’s been outstanding, we’ve got three guys on debut this weekend, with Theo Dan and Tom Willis as well,” said England assistant coach Sinfield.
“So the young players who’ve come in have got a real enthusiasm and energy towards the group, and added to the group.
“We’ve all seen Tom’s physicality and his explosiveness in the way he’s played the game with London Irish this year. So we’re all looking forward to seeing him play, and he’s been excellent in camp.”
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Gatland bullish on Wales chances
Warren Gatland has backed Wales to do “something pretty special” at the World Cup in France.
A miserable Six Nations campaign produced a fifth-placed finish, while player contracts, financial issues throughout Welsh professional rugby and the threat of a players’ strike significantly compounded matters.
Wales have also dropped to ninth in World Rugby’s official rankings and seen talismanic figures like Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Rhys Webb all retire from international rugby since the end of last season.
Asked if he relished Wales being written off, Gatland said: “Yeah. Continue to do it because it’s only going to make us stronger. I am really excited. I’m telling you this team will do something pretty special.
“I think if I look back on the Six Nations and all the things that were going on, I probably needed to let things unfold a bit and not be as direct or demanding as I might have normally been.
“The fact that things have settled down and a lot of new players have come in, the way that we’ve been so much more accountable for how we do things and demanding standards, that has been brilliant. As a group, we are in a good place. I promise you now, we will surprise some people.”
England stars set for final Rugby World Cup auditions
England’s last World Cup selection meeting will have reached its very final throes if Steve Borthwick finds himself on a late-night walk around Cardiff tomorrow.
Borthwick will convene his full coaching staff in the Welsh capital for one final World Cup squad deliberation.
Not content with taking on Wales at the Principality Stadium in the early evening, England boss Borthwick is ready to burn the midnight oil finalising his World Cup line-up.
England will take 33 players to the World Cup in France, and will kick off their campaign by facing Argentina in Marseille on September 9.
Borthwick will name his squad on Monday, having informed his players personally of his decisions the day before. He is already “pretty clear” on the bulk of his selections, but the back-row and the back-three remain clouded by strength and depth.
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Smith gets the nod
Steve Borthwick has given the clearest indication yet that Marcus Smith will go to the Rugby World Cup by confirming he will take three fly-halves to France.
England boss Borthwick has named Smith in the line-up for today’s World Cup warm-up Test against Wales in Cardiff, with his Harlequins team-mate Danny Care in from the off at scrum-half.
Livewire playmaker Smith will face a big selection battle at the World Cup, with Owen Farrell as captain and George Ford a long-term trusted fly-half lieutenant.
Smith looks set to be named in England’s 33-man squad on Monday however, in light of Borthwick admitting the wider requirements about taking specialist half-backs.
“Right now I have got a pretty clear framework; in those key positions you need to have depth, three players who can play that position,” said Borthwick.
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Match odds
Wales win: 2/1
Draw: 19/1
England win: 4/9
England win by between one and seven points: 3/1
Score prediction
Welsh rugby is in need of a lift after a dismal run of form, while England struggled in the Six Nations.
Either way, it looks like a tight affair but England have shown better flashes of form of late.
England to win by a narrow margin.
