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There is no such thing as a subdued meeting between England and Wales, it just doesn’t exist, but Saturday’s encounter at the Principality Stadium has some extra spice.
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The hosts head into the Guinness Six Nations round five clash looking to avoid back-to-back Wooden Spoons and to arrest their 16-Test losing streak, and there is no one better than the old enemy to do it against. As for England, they know a bonus-point win would guarantee them second place and lift them to the top of the Championship before France face Scotland.
But in a British and Irish Lions year, the final match of the tournament is always the last audition to impress the selectors on an international stage, and for England, there are many players that will want to send a message to Andy Farrell ahead of the tour of Australia later this year.
There are some players that are nailed to go – Maro Itoje, Tom Curry and Ben Earl can plan their days off on Bondi Beach already. There are some that are likely to go, and there are some that have surged into contention over the past two months. Here are six from England:
Will Stuart
Stuart will be a Lion this year, there’s no doubt about it.
The tighthead entered the tournament with a good chance of making the squad, but has removed any hesitancy Farrell may have had with his displays thus far.
Rock solid in the scrum, unyielding in defence and possessing a pair of dancing feet, the 28-year-old can choose now if he wants an aisle or window seat.
Tadhg Furlong’s prolonged injury troubles have only enhanced Stuart’s chances of starting against the Wallabies.
The Will Stuart footwork, the Tom Curry offload and the Marcus Smith hitchkick 😮💨
A try that had it all 🙌#GuinnessM6N | #ENGvITA pic.twitter.com/xZoWOX0o9C
ADVERTISEMENT— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) March 9, 2025
Ollie Chessum
This time last year, Chessum’s Lions chances seemed pretty strong. But after missing England’s New Zealand tour with a shoulder injury, then missing the Autumn Nations Series with a knee problem, the 24-year-old’s international career, and Lions hopes, were curtailed.
But after starting on the bench in the opening two rounds of the Championship, the Leicester Tigers man came into the starting XV and made a discernible impact, particularly how England’s lineout has functioned.
Standing at 2 metres and weighing 118kg, the lock makes use of his weight but still covers the ground like a back-row, where he is comfortable playing.
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As is the case in this list, as one player’s stock rises, it comes at the expense of another Lions hopeful. In this case, it is Chessum’s England and Leicester team-mate George Martin who has fallen down the pecking order, not helped by being ruled out of the final three rounds of the Championship.
Ben Curry
Curry entered this Championship with only six caps to his name and perhaps still struggling to move out of his twin Tom’s shadow and carve his own identity in Test rugby.
Even his selection in the starting XV for the opening round against Ireland may have raised a few eyebrows. But he proved any critics wrong at the Aviva Stadium, and though he has had to settle for the bench the rest of the Championship so far, his impact has been huge.
England had a chronic inability to close matches out in 2024, and persistently faded in the final quarter. They looked to have turned a corner this Championship in that department, and Curry’s energy from the bench has been fundamental to that. He’ll be unleashed from the off against Wales, as Steve Borthwick’s thinking may be the longer he is on the pitch, the better.
The Sale flanker has shown this Championship that there is little to separate him and his brother, a three-cap Lion, and he has entered the conversation.
Fin Smith
Northampton’s Smith had not even started a match for England until round two of this Championship against France, where he delivered a man of the match display. Now he is comfortably England’s incumbent No.10.
The 22-year-old has looked increasingly settled in Test rugby as the tournament has progressed, and looks to have a game built for international rugby.
The Lions fly-half slot is an intriguing one, as Smith’s rivals have experienced campaigns of highs and lows. On balance of the entire Championship to date, the Saint has probably been the most consistent option at No.10.
Like with Chessum and Martin, though, Smith’s rise over the past two months has come at the expense of his namesake Marcus Smith, who has had to contend with playing at full-back. That positional versatility may actually work in the Harlequin’s favour.
Six Nations
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
France
4
3
1
0
16
2
England
4
3
1
0
15
3
Ireland
4
3
1
0
14
4
Scotland
4
2
2
0
11
5
Italy
4
1
3
0
4
6
Wales
4
0
4
0
3
Tommy Freeman
Freeman was already in the Lions picture heading into the Six Nations, and he has only bolstered his chances so far with a try in every match.
Duhan van der Merwe and James Lowe are probably leading the race to start on the wing for the Lions, although both are left wings. Playing on the right may benefit Freeman, who has starred in an England side that do not exploit his strengths in attack in the same way Scotland do with Van der Merwe and Ireland do with Lowe. That is why the Englishman’s carries per minute is significantly lower than that of his competitors from other nations.
The 24-year-old has still had an outstanding Championship in his role. Dominant aerially, a strong kick-chaser and capable of providing some grunt when coming off his wing, Freeman has very few flaws in his game.
A shift to outside centre this weekend against Wales will do his hopes no harm as he will be able to exhibit his versatility.
Elliot Daly
Versatility has been a buzzword in this list, and Daly is the Swiss Army Knife of backs.
The 2017 and 2021 Lion was barely in the England equation heading into the Championship, let alone Lions, and did not feature in the opening round.
But a match-winning performance against France from the bench, followed by another assured display as a substitute against Scotland earned Daly a start at full-back against Italy, though he played the majority of the match at outside centre following Ollie Lawrence’s injury.
Set to start of the wing at the Principality Stadium, the five-cap Lion possesses the positional flexibility few can rival, if any, crucially, in Lions contention.
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