Wales prepare to face England in Six Nations decider

This weekend marks the final round of the 2013 Six Nations competition, writes Juan Ruiz.

Scotland play France while Ireland take on Italy to determine which team from Scotland, Italy and – remarkably, after the pre-tournament talk of them being one of the favourites – France, will take home the wooden spoon.

More importantly, Wales entertain England at the Millennium Stadium to decide who wins the championship.

Last week’s round of games saw Wales beat Scotland in a dire contest, with both sides making mistake after mistake – although admittedly in awful conditions. But even allowing for the weather, the Welsh performance will not have filled English hearts with dread.

It was followed by England’s equally inept show against a stubborn and increasingly resourceful Italy team, who nearly embarrassed the red-hot favourites by taking the game right up to the final whistle.

Will to win

In previous games, England had demonstrated they can play an intense style of accurate rugby, which provides their opposition with few scoring chances and themselves with kickable penalties or opportunistic tries.

Trailing 10-9 after 40 minutes against France, and realising that Plan A was not working, England turned the game around by upping the tempo and playing less expansive rugby, which put more pressure on the fragile French – a change which saw them through to win in a hard-fought contest.

It has to be said, though, that the success of this tactical adjustment was helped by some unfathomable French substitutions in which most of their in-form players were replaced by inferior ones from the bench.

England’s success against France was help by some unfathomable French substitutions in which most of their in-form players were replaced.

The fact is that to be able to accomplish such a change of direction halfway through a game has eluded many an England team in the recent past. It takes players and coaches of ability and focus to achieve.

Similarly, in the games with Scotland and Ireland, some England players accomplished what is the hardest thing to achieve at any level in rugby: having the adaptability and quick thinking to play the situation in front of you and not simply continue with the set play which has just been called.

Read more about the remarkable survival story of Six Nations rugby

Wales opened their 2013 campaign against Ireland with a first half which they would probably rather forget. They did almost manage to change the game round in a second half where they upped the pace and intensity, releasing their much-vaunted backs to run riot among the Irish defence.

The Welsh then went to Paris and showed, against an increasingly shambolic French side, a passion and will to win that that bodes well for this week’s showdown in Cardiff.

All about winning

That game will initially be won in the forwards, where there are some mouth-watering match-ups: Sam Warburton and Chris Robshaw at openside, Tom Wood and Toby Faletau at number eight, Geoff Parling and Alun Wyn Jones in the second row.

In the backs the contest is equally intriguing: Manu Tuilagi and Brad Barritt versus the awesome pairing of Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies for Wales, while the Welsh back three of Halfpenny, Cuthbert and North face England’s Goode, Ashton and Brown.

I see the Wales-England game going to the wire, with England trying to strangle the life out the game.

This game will have a sizable bearing on which of these players get on the plane for the forthcoming Lions tour of Australia this summer.

I see the game going to the wire, with England trying to strangle the life out the game. Wales will try to keep things more fluid and out-manoeuvre the less inventive English backs.

Saturday’s contest is all about winning, and England should triumph in this particular arm-wrestle – but only just, with the forwards applying the pressure and the ever-dependable Farrell kicking the winning points.