Six Nations 2019
Venue: Principality Stadium
Kick-off: 16.45 GMT, Saturday February 23
After the first break of the competition, perhaps the most significant fixture of the entire 2019 Six Nations takes place in Cardiff as Wales collide with old rivals England at Principality Stadium.
It is a colossal clash between the last two unbeaten nations and one that is likely to go a long way towards deciding who claims this year's title and indeed if either team is capable of going on to secure a coveted Grand Slam.
England could not have begun a World Cup year in more emphatic fashion after a massively underwhelming 2018, stunning defending champions Ireland 32-20 in Dublin on opening weekend before running in six tries against a dismal French outfit in a 44-8 rout at Twickenham.
Eddie Jones' side have combined monster physicality, relentless intensity and strong discipline with a clever kicking game, while their formidable strength in depth means they did not skip a beat despite losing a key performer in Saracens lock Maro Itoje.
Wales have not been quite so convincing, despite producing a remarkable second-half turnaround in France in the curtain-raiser.
Warren Gatland's men were wretched in an error-strewn opening 40 minutes and although they improved after the break, their comeback from 16-0 down was in no small part due to an act of French self-sabotage.
Wales struggled for fluency after making 10 changes for their next trip to Rome and led perennial whipping boys Italy only 12-7 at half-time while taking 53 minutes to score their first try.
However, that 26-15 win at Stadio Olimpico did see them equal a Welsh record of 11 consecutive victories set between 1907-10. How they would love to record a new mark on home soil against England in a contest that appears to carry such importance.
Team news and line-ups
England make two changes to the side that brushed aside France, with Jack Nowell replacing Chris Ashton (calf) on the wing and the fit-again Joe Cokanasiga kept in reserve.
Exeter loose-head Ben Moon is chosen ahead of Ellis Genge as the starting replacement for the influential Mako Vunipola, who will miss the rest of the Six Nations with an ankle ligament injury.
Ben Te'o and Nathan Hughes drop out of the squad as Cokanasiga and Brad Shields come onto the bench. Maro Itoje and Dylan Hartley remain sidelined.
England XV: Daly; Nowell, Slade, Tuilagi, May; Farrell, Youngs; Moon, George, Sinckler; Lawes, Kruis; Wilson, Curry, B Vunipola
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Genge, Williams, Launchbury, Shields, Robson, Ford, Cokanasiga
Wales rotated significantly against Italy and handed out three Six Nations debuts after a week-long training camp in Nice, so most of their key stars should be well rested by the time England travel across the Severn Bridge.
Most of those changes have been reversed as expected, with Gareth Anscombe remaining as first-choice fly-half ahead of Dan Biggar.
Cory Hill gets the nod over Adam Beard in the second row and Gareth Davies starts at scrum-half, with namesake Aled among the list of substitutes with Tomos Williams out injured.
Dillon Lewis is the chief support for starting tight-head Tomas Francis as Samson Lee also misses out through injury.
Wales XV: L Williams; North, J Davies, Parkes, Adams; Anscombe, G Davies; Evans, Owens, Francis; Hill, AW Jones (c); Navidi, Tipuric, Moriarty
Replacements: Dee, Smith, Lewis, Beard, Wainwright, A Davies, Biggar, Watkin
Score prediction: Wales 21-28 England
There is massive incentive for both teams in this match and the result will have huge ramifications for the rest of the the Six Nations as well as potentially striking a key blow to the losers ahead of the World Cup in Japan.
It is difficult to get a strong read on Wales despite their record-tying run due to a Jekyll and Hyde showing in Paris and so many changes in an unconvincing display in Italy, but motivation will not be an issue here.
It is difficult to back against England on the strength of their opening two displays and Gatland - who is stepping down from his role later in 2019 after 12 years at the helm - must find an answer to England's ruthless kicking tactics if they are to be successfully stopped.
Jones has already started with the mind games after claiming that this is the "greatest" Wales team of all time - a response to Gatland's assertion last year that the two teams were "poles apart".
The roof at the Principality will remain open for the game - always a point of contention between these two sides.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- Wales to win: 6/4
- Draw: 25/1
- England to win: 4/7
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
TV channel and live stream, and online coverage
ITV and the BBC are sharing broadcasting rights for the Six Nations for the third successive year, with the BBC hosting Wales vs England on BBC One and via their online iPlayer.
You can also follow all the action with Standard Sport's LIVE blog.
Head to Head record and history (h2h)
There have been 131 previous competitive meetings between these two sides, with England boasting 62 wins to Wales' 57. There have been 12 draws.
Wales' recent record against the English is poor, with nearly every game since their memorable 30-3 win in Cardiff in 2013 - one that saw them claim the Six Nations title and end their opponents' Grand Slam hopes - ending in defeat.
The only notable exception was a stunning 28-25 World Cup victory at Twickenham in 2015 in which Gareth Davies scored a late try and Biggar kicked 23 points.
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