With everything that’s going on off the field in Welsh rugby right now, there has been a lot of talk about the country’s successful teams of the past.
I feel very grateful and honoured to have played at a time when Wales were beating the top teams and winning trophies.
But it must not be forgotten that even when I was part of very, very good Welsh sides, we still found it incredibly difficult to get the better of England away from home. In the time between my Test debut in November 2008 and my retirement in 2023, Wales had only two wins at the Allianz Stadium – in 2012 and 2015.
That 2015 World Cup victory was more than worth waiting for! But it also remains the last time a Welsh side won on English soil. My point is that even the best Wales teams of the past two decades struggled when they headed up the M4. So, history suggests Steve Tandy’s class of 2026 have a huge task on their hands. England start as massive, massive favourites.
It’s been a weird build-up to this game. There hasn’t been the usual hype, predominantly because all the focus in Wales has been on what is happening in the boardroom.
At the same time, England are clearly such a strong team – on a winning run of 11 matches – that the 80 minutes is being viewed by many as a foregone conclusion.
When you hear ‘Swing Low Sweet Chariot’ as a Welshman, you know you’re in trouble!
Wales have to kick well, transition smartly, and improve their discipline to beat England
Playing Luis Rees-Zammit at full-back is a good move – he is a world-classs talent
It’s true to say that if you look at the two teams, they are chalk and cheese.
England lost only once in 2025. Their squad is packed not only with quality, but depth and confidence. Conversely, Wales are at the start of their journey under Steve Tandy and once again, politics in the game is proving to be a real distraction. The future of my former side Ospreys is very much at threat as the Welsh Rugby Union looks to cut one of its teams.
The off-field drama has been going on for so long now that it’s almost become a constant sideshow to the rugby.
There has been a common acceptance in Wales that things need to change.
Now that change has been proposed, some people don’t want it to happen.
I really feel for all those at the Ospreys, but for the Wales players the 80 minutes against England will almost be an escape from what’s going on away from the pitch.
How can Wales trouble England?
The first thing to say is that the success of their Championship won’t be defined by what happens this weekend.
England racked up a record Six Nations victory of 6-14 against Wales last year
In a fesity game at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, England came up short in their title bid
Wales haven’t won a Six Nations game in the past two years, so they must target looking to beat Scotland and Italy at home in the next few weeks.
If they finish the tournament with one or two wins, then that would be a big improvement.
The forecast for Saturday’s game is very, very wet. So, that is clearly going to have an impact.
I don’t think the conditions will help Wales. For them to trouble England, they need to make the game unstructured. If the match turns into a traditional-style contest, there is only going to be one winner. The bookmakers have Wales at more than 25/1 in some places to win, so you could make a valid argument that’s the case anyway! But Wales will have more of a chance of causing damage in a looser game where they can get Louis Rees-Zammit on the ball.
That is far easier to do in dry conditions instead of in pouring rain.
Regardless, playing Rees-Zammit at full-back is a good move. Wales don’t have as many world-class players as they once did, but Rees-Zammit is one. So, the more touches he gets, the better. England have evolved their attacking game well but I think they’ll go old school to squeeze the life out of Wales. They’ll kick a lot through George Ford and look to regain the ball in the contests. They’ve got the forward power and impact from the bench to strangle the game.
As we saw in the autumn, England have a huge amount of physicality and the ability to bring on guys like Tom Curry and Henry Pollock as replacements.
To minimise the threat of that power, Wales have to improve their discipline from the autumn and limit the number of entries into their own 22.
Wales have not won a Six Nations match in the last two years, and rarely win at Twickenham
Tandy’s men can’t give away cheap penalties in their own half. All that will do is allow Ford to kick England into position and from there, their pack will get to work.
Wales have to kick smartly. In Dan Edwards, they have a very talented but young No 10 who doesn’t have Ford’s experience. Edwards and Tomos Williams can’t afford to kick to Freddie Steward because he’s so good in the air. Wales can’t just kick to release pressure.
They have to be smart with how they do it and I think they’ll look to target Henry Arundell as well as Tom Roebuck due to his lack of match minutes. Roebuck is a late replacement for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso who has a hamstring injury. Given it will be Roebuck’s first game since New Zealand in the autumn, Wales must test his fitness.
Wales are looking to create a lot of transition opportunities in their matches.
What does that mean? A transition moment is the opposite of the set-piece – like a scrum or line-out. It could be regathering the ball from a kick or creating a turnover through a jackal at the breakdown. Essentially, Wales want to maximise the number of times they can attack against an England defence that isn’t set and then use the likes of Rees-Zammit.
Again, kicking plays a big part in this. Everyone says kicking is a negative tactic, but it’s hugely important in the modern game. I bet you’re thinking: ‘He would say that as a former No 10!’
But I have a statistic to back that up. In England’s four November games, they scored 38 points directly from kicks of differing kinds. That shows how effective it can be.
England are in such a good position at the start of this Six Nations. But I do make them second favourites for the Championship behind France, especially after the opening night.
Biggar, a former Wales and Lions star, is a columnist for the Daily Mail
I thought France were exceptional against Ireland in Paris. Even in wet conditions, they attacked with plenty of intent and played some brilliant rugby.
When France get on a roll on home turf, there is really no other team quite like it.
Fabien Galthie’s side put 36 points on what is a good Ireland side, even if Andy Farrell’s men were without key players due to injury. What Ireland didn’t do is start well.
Wales need to learn from that. Facing England away from home can be really, really tough if they get on a roll. ‘Swing Low Sweet Chariot’ starts then and when you hear that as a Welshman, you know you’re in trouble! Wales have to stay in the contest for as long as possible. The reality is I can’t see them winning. The challenge for Wales is to show signs of improvement and build confidence with more winnable games to come.
But for a Welshman, there is no better occasion than playing away to England in the Six Nations. It’s a task Tandy and his players must relish.
‘BIGGS & ROG On The Fly’, in association with Heineken 0.0, is coming to Savoy, Cork on March 4 and The Harcourt Hotel in Dublin on March 5. Limited tickets available: