Eddie Jones has delayed informing Wales if he will allow the Principality Stadium roof to be shut for Saturday’s Six Nations match in Cardiff until the 11th hour, having previously stated he “didn’t care” if it was open or not.
For the roof to be closed both sides must agree and England’s deadline to inform Wales of their decision is 48 hours before kick-off. After England’s lacklustre victory over France on Saturday Jones laid down the gauntlet to his players by saying: “The louder it is, the better it is. Are they closing [the roof]? We’ll toss a coin and see what happens.”
On Wednesday however, the Wales defence coach, Shaun Edwards, confirmed his side, who prefer the roof shut, were waiting for a decision. He then warned England, who have had three yellow cards and one red in their past three matches, that discipline would be key.
“A big part of winning a Six Nations is keeping 15 players on the pitch for all the games,” said Edwards, whose side conceded only five penalties in Rome. “Our discipline was excellent in Italy and it is a big thing going into this game. Discipline is vital.”
Asked if the decision on the roof was a decision made collectively among the England coaches, and if it would be delayed until the last possible moment, Jones’s defence coach, Paul Gustard, said: “Eddie will make the final call on that.”
While it is an established rule, Edwards conceded it was an unusual situation for the visiting team to have the final say but expects Jones to agree to the roof being closed, based on the Australian’s comments on Monday that, “if they start throwing daffodils during the warm-up or we have an oscillating roof, we can cope with that”.
Edwards said: “I like [Eddie’s] attitude. That is the kind of bloke Eddie is. Good on him. I think he’s great for rugby. It’s smart coaching. You want characters in the game. Are there daffodils around this time of year? I don’t know. It feels a bit cold for daffodils.”
Two years ago, when England triumphed 21-16 in Cardiff after a stand-off in the tunnel had delayed the kick-off, Stuart Lancaster opted for the roof to be open, having seen his side succumb to a record 30-3 defeat in 2013 after requesting it to be closed.
Wales’s reasons for preferring the roof shut, meanwhile, are obvious. James Haskell has previously described the noise generated in the 72,500-seater stadium as “an oppressive force on top of you” while players have spoken of communication difficulties when the roof is closed.
“There are visual cues and there are obviously audible cues as well,” said Gustard. “The noise has an impact on both teams so, if we’re going to experience any difficulties, they will as well. It’s not something we’ve overly focused on defensively.”
The flanker Tom Wood, who is expected to be named in the matchday squad despite a shoulder injury, has previously said England were “shellshocked” four years ago and that “warming up, I couldn’t imagine how we were going to play the game because I couldn’t hear the guy next to me making a simple call”.
Jones had expressed concerns over why England are “petrified of playing Wales in Wales” but Joe Launchbury, who played in Cardiff four years ago and missed the victory in 2015, has dismissed the effect of the crowd’s intensity. “As a player the only time you notice anything is pre-game,” he said. “You are so clued in to what you are doing or picking up a lineout call. You could be anywhere in the world – it doesn’t matter.”
With Wood’s lingering shoulder injury, Jones insistent that Haskell is not ready to play for the full 80 minutes and Teimana Harrison not in the squad, the Harlequins back-row Jack Clifford is set to play a prominent role on Saturday. The 23-year-old has not played for England since last summer’s Australia series and has just one start to his name, in the victory over Wales, in May.
“We feel with Jack against this opposition, he’s going to offer what we want to do in attack,” said Gustard. “The numbers that he’s been providing for Harlequins have been very good and from week to week we always address the selection and see who is deserving to be in the 23.
“He is competitive, he is desperate to play for England, we’ve seen good growth from him over the last 12 months. There’s been improvement in some aspects of his play. He’s put himself back in the shop window for a starting position this weekend.”
Gustard also believes that the replacements’ bench will again have a major impact as England seek a 16th consecutive victory, after Haskell, Danny Care, Ben Te’o, Jack Nowell, who is pushing Jonny May for a starting place on the wing, and Jamie George all made telling contributions against France.
“We’ll have a good indication of when Wales may make their substitutions in the front row, back row, which may impact on the pace of the game and what they are likely to bring,” he added.
“Likewise, we’ll discuss our players in advance of the game, scenarios where we are likely to bring someone on and what those scenarios look like, how long they have in the tank.”
