When Eddie Jones took charge of England, one of his goals was to supplant the All Blacks at the top of the world rankings before the start of the World Cup. The All Blacks could be toppled this weekend for the first time since 2009, but Wales, Sunday’s visitors to Twickenham, would be the potential beneficiaries.
Wales will reach the summit for the first time if they overcame England, after New Zealand’s loss to Australia in Perth. The Grand Slam champions have chosen close to a full-strength side, while their hosts have only a sprinkling of regular starters as Jones looks to confirm the final places in his World Cup squad, which will be announced on Monday.
Jones and Warren Gatland dined together on Friday night, although the subject of the match itself was not on the menu. They had not talked in advance about the strength of the teams they were going to pick because they were approaching it from different directions: Wales want to build on the momentum of the last 18 months and their 14 consecutive victories, four short of the record held by New Zealand and England, while Jones wants a first look at some players and a final one at others.
“Eddie must be very clear in his own mind what he thinks the squad will be,” said Gatland, who took charge of Wales at the end of 2007 when they were 10th in the rankings after failing to qualify for the knockout stage of the 2007 World Cup. “Players have an opportunity on Sunday to put up their hands.
“It can be an advantage to name a squad early because it gives players clarity, but we have our own approach, trying to build on our run of form and we have been placing a stress on confidence. There is a six-day turnaround to the second game against England [in Cardiff], which replicates our first two matches in the World Cup, and there is a good chance that a number of players are backed up and give others an opportunity in our third game against Ireland. I have spoken to their coach [Joe Schmidt] about what we are both looking to do.
“I am sure there will be a bit of banter over dinner with Eddie and it will be interesting to see how the chat goes, but we have not spoken about the match. We have not prepped for England this week because we wanted to see what their team would be. They have picked a quick back line with not a huge amount of size and they have not gone for their strongest lineout, perhaps because of what happened in Cardiff earlier this year when our discipline was outstanding and we restricted them to few throw-ins.”
Gatland started his Wales reign with victory over England at Twickenham and it will be his final visit in the short term to a ground where he has enjoyed considerable success at club and international level. “A warm-up there is different to the Six Nations or the World Cup but it is still England-Wales, something people get emotional and excited about,” he said.
“I am really looking forward to it because there is external pressure on our players with England picking an unfamiliar side. We have to embrace it and go there with the confidence that we can spoil their party and make it difficult in terms of the selection of their World Cup squad.” Wales’s replacement scrum-half Tomos Williams is likely to be pulled from the bench after suffering a shoulder injury in training while the second row Cory Hill was not considered because of an ankle problem.
Gatland’s captain, Alun Wyn Jones, the one survivor from the 2008 win at Twickenham, will be appearing in his 135th Test, a record for a Wales player. “In the last 12 months, he has done an outstanding job as captain,” said the coach. “He leads by example and is recognised worldwide as one of the best players in his position. He is calm and respected by the other players. The squad is in a really good place.”
