Wales vs. England: Date, Live Stream, TV Info and Six Nations 2017 Preview
One of the fiercest rivalries in world rugby will be revived once more on Saturday as Wales prepare to entertain England in what could prove to be the make-or-break battle to decide the 2017 Six Nations.
Both teams won their opening fixtures of the tournament, with Wales storming back to beat Italy 33-7 in Rome on Sunday after England's 19-16 defeat of France at Twickenham a day earlier.
Wales sit at the head of the Six Nations table thanks to the points advantage accrued at the Stadio Olimpico, but England's Six Nations title defence would enjoy a major boost with victory in Cardiff, Wales.
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That motivation may well give coach Eddie Jones' men an edge at the Principality Stadium, but complacency could be a threat after they secured a record-breaking 15th successive victory at home to Les Bleus in Week 1.
Read on for a breakdown of the clash in Cardiff, complete with all the essential viewing information and a preview of the fixture's top talking points.
Date: Saturday, February 11
Time: 4:50 p.m. GMT/11:50 a.m. ET
Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
Live Stream: BBC Sport website (UK)
TV Info: BBC One (UK)
Duel for the Summit
One week into the competition and both Wales and England have maintained their respective charges for the title, but one team's hope for a Grand Slam run in 2017 will be ended at the Principality Stadium.
This fixture will always carry with it a theme of bad blood, and Wales flanker Sam Warburton, who recently stepped down as captain, gave a sense of how players feel coming into the clash, per The Telegraph's Oliver Brown:
"You can sense it. We know as players that this is the one the fans look forward to the most. I’m not going to hide from that fact. This will be a huge occasion for everyone involved in rugby and in Wales. When you train extremely hard and make all the sacrifices, these are the fixtures you want to be involved in. You just love being in the cauldron of the Principality Stadium against a team like England.
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The Welsh have a habit of enhancing their game for meetings against their oldest foes, although England boss Jones told BBC 5 live Sport he doesn't understand why that might be the case:
If either Wales or England are to keep alive any dream of a Six Nations Grand Slam in the 2017 contest, victory on Saturday will be needed, and both teams showed in Week 1 that they're still fighting to reach their best.
That being said, there's nothing like an Anglo-Welsh clash in Cardiff to get these two sides firing on all cylinders, the only question being who capitalises most on their upgrade in Cardiff this Saturday.
England's Pack Problems
One could say England's forwards were the defining feature in their run to the 2016 Six Nations Grand Slam, but a spate of recent injuries has left that same pack in some disarray preparing for the trip to Wales' capital.
BBC Sport recently confirmed a knee ligament injury would sideline lock George Kruis for the tournament, while the Daily Mail's Chris Foy highlighted Wales' back-row hopes look to be in better shape at present:
One of England's advantages, however, is that their resources run so deep they can afford to contend with such absences, and Jones appeared keen to front up to the challenge awaiting his men, per The Telegraph's Mick Cleary:
"We want the sort of attitude that it doesn’t matter what happens. If they start throwing daffodils during the warm-up or make us stand out there for 15 minutes or close or open the roof, perhaps have an oscillating roof, what else could they do? We can cope with all that. We are not concerned with what they do before or after. All we are concerned about is that we control them during the game.
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The good news for Jones is loosehead Mako Vunipola is back in the selection mix, while Tom Wood was included in the 24-man squad despite a shoulder injury preventing him from training, per BBC Sport.
Add to that the already absent Billy Vunipola and England's forward roster begins to look less and less experienced, and Wales will undoubtedly be looking to capitalise on that come Saturday.
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