Fierce rivals England and Wales continue their Guinness Six Nations campaigns with an eagerly-awaited clash at Twickenham.
England kicked off with a narrow victory over Italy in Rome, while Wales almost pulled off the biggest comeback in Six Nations history, scoring 26 unanswered points before going down 27-26 to Scotland.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the talking points heading into Saturday’s encounter.
England’s magnificent seven
Half-century for George North
Pump up the Twickenham volume
A fixture that never fails to deliver!#ENGvWAL is almost here ??@SixNationsRugby pic.twitter.com/e2SxAGf088
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 8, 2024
England return to headquarters for the first time since they were booed during a shock World Cup warm-up defeat against Fiji. Steve Borthwick’s team went on to finish third in the World Cup, and they host Wales on the back of an opening Six Nations victory over Italy. The Twickenham atmosphere in recent times has undoubtedly been flat, and changes introduced to the match-day experience include an increase in length of the players’ walk through the crowds from their bus to the changing room.
Ioan Lloyd in the spotlight
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso to make a mark?
England insist Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is ready to face Wales after Steve Borthwick selected an unchanged team for Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash at Twickenham pic.twitter.com/kTA03H54Xb
— PA Sport (@pasport) February 8, 2024
The Exeter wing pledged allegiance to England and made his debut off the bench against Italy, despite being born and raised in Cardiff. It prompted Wales boss Warren Gatland to remark last month that his decision had not gone down well across the border, although Gatland also insisted that preparations for England had not involved the 21-year-old being mentioned, stating: “It doesn’t add any extra spice. Good luck to him. I hope things go well for him.”