England vs. Wales Predictions: Home advantage to pay off again in this battle of rivals

Like a bad smell that you can’t get rid of, your boy @petemarsden_ is back with another preview for this weekend’s Six Nations action.

This time, we’re taking a look at the huge clash between England and Wales at Twickenham. The pubs will be brimming with the type of rugby fan that we all know too well. Two sticks of hein-o-mite and so forth, the kind that orders four pints of Guinness at the end of their order. So, to see you through that ordeal, we’ve put together two tips for this fascinating encounter.

For England, Ben Youngs will have to wait for a record breaking 115th cap, whilst Courtney Lawes returns to captain the side, alongside the immovable object that is Manu Tuilagi.

For the Welsh, Taulupe Faletau returns to the side, with Alex Cuthbert winning his 50th cap for his country.

First of all, despite the clear injuries for Wales and missing key players, I’m still surprised to find England at such short odds (1/7). The last four games between these two have seen two wins a piece, although English fans will take solace in the fact that the home side has won each of the last four encounters in this competition alone. The fact that England are such short favourites made it harder to back them, so we’re looking at them to lead by 1-7 points at the 40 minute mark.

Expect Eddie Jones’ side to show their class and flex their muscles early on, and in these fixtures we all know the home crowd can make a huge difference. 11/5 was available with Betfair and BoyleSports, compared to the likes of 2/1 with BetVictor.

Next up, I’m looking towards the absolute man mountain of Manu Tuilagi to pick up the man of the match award. It’s safe to say there have been few, if any, players like Tuilagi to have represented England before. His combination of sheer power, athleticism and the ability to have a rapid change of speed make him a scary prospect against any opposition when he’s on his game. 

He makes his first appearance of the tournament, and the Twickenham crowd will be desperate to see more of the scenes like we’ve witnessed below. If there’s anyone who can change the game, it’s him.

Good luck if you’re following these bets, and please gamble responsibly.