Ollie Phillips: Key returnees could spice up England v Wales clash
It’s not one of the hardest predictions I have had to make during this year’s Six Nations but I just don’t see any result other than a comfortable England win when they play Wales on Saturday.
A large part of that, I think, comes down to Eddie Jones now picking a team around his No10 Marcus Smith.
Jones initially named the strong ball carrier Manu Tuilagi at No12 with a silky Henry Slade continuing at No13 but Manu was injured yesterday. That said, England have versatility – Elliot Daly and Joe Marchant can slot in.
But what’s most exciting about the XV selected today is that Harry Randall will start at scrum half.
The Bristol Bears No9 is a livewire and instantly lets everyone know what kind of game England plan to play – open and high tempo.
On other selection matters, it is brilliant to see Taulupe Faletau back in the Welsh fold. He may not have played much – like Tuilagi – but you just know he will have some sort of impact come Saturday.
Wales have some quality players but they also have a lot of ordinary lads in their squad, while England look to just be building nicely – and of course have some key players back.
Wales dropping Louis Rees-Zammit doesn’t come as much of a surprise for me, however. The youngster is electric and is just so, so quick but he was average last time out against Scotland.
Josh Adams has come back into the side which is a welcome sight, and thank goodness he’s in his preferred wing position after that performance in Dublin in round one.
And a small note, too, for Alex Cuthbert. The comeback king proves that you can still compete on the wing at 31 against all of the youngsters snapping at his feet.
I can’t see past a comfortable England win at Twickenham – though it would probably be a different story if the game were in Cardiff.
Elsewhere, Scotland face an acid test against France, the best team in the world in my opinion.
I think Scotland got on their high horse after their well-earned victory over England and that showed a week later in Cardiff.
Now they’re up against a huge side in France who are on a mission for a Grand Slam. I don’t see France losing this one, but it may be tight.
Over in Dublin, it could quite simply be a rout for Ireland as they host Italy.
It’s great to see Georgian representation in the Six Nations, though, albeit in the form of referee Nika Amashukeli.
By promoting referees such as him into the big time, it only helps the game grow.
It is also good when ex-players like me get the chance to keep playing rugby and I’ll be doing just that this time next week as part of the England v Ireland legends game at the Stoop.
Charities including the RPA Restart Rugby, Cure Parkinson’s Trust, Alzheimer’s Society and Rugby Players Ireland Foundation will benefit from the proceeds raised and it would be great to see as many people there as possible.
Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance, experts in leadership development and behavioural change. Follow Ollie on Twitter and on LinkedIn.