England vs Wales Preview & Tips - England to swat woeful Wales aside in Six Nations opener

Ben Darvill

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Last updated: 05 Feb 2026

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Ben Darvill 05 Feb 2026

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England have won their last 11 international matches
Henry Arundell has scored six tries in the Prem this season
Preview, stats & head to head

Henry Arundell of England (Getty Images)

England vs Wales Preview & Tips
Head To Head
England Form
Wales Form

England vs Wales Preview & Tips

England arrive for the 2026 Six Nations hoping to extend an impressive 11-game winning run that spans all the way back to a 26-25 win over France back in February 2025.

Wales have lost their last two matches, with a crushing 73-0 loss to South Africa meaning they arrive for this one in desperate need of a win.

England have won their last three against Wales
Henry Arundell has scored eight tries in 11 appearances for England

Head To Head

England have notched seven wins in their last 10 against Wales, with the Welsh securing three wins in this time.

England Form

England have been building brilliantly over the last few years, with Steve Borthwick ensuring his teams do the basics well, thus making them very tough to beat.

While their often pragmatic style of play has frustrated fans with a lot of kicking becoming their signature, Borthwick has often looked to really press home the advantage of his side against weaker teams. This was shown in last year's Six Nations clash between England and Wales as the former humiliated their opponents 68-14.

Picking Henry Arundell and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso on the flanks provides pace and superb finishers, and they will look to hunt Wales with and without the ball. Arundell has been in fine form for Bath in the Gallagher Prem this season, and I back him to dot down for the home side.

Whether this one ends as a huge win remains to be seen. The Welsh arrive looking to rekindle some kind of pride, but they are outmatched across the pitch. Across their last seven matches, they have conceded 50 points or more four times.

England will likely look to press home their advantage in the forwards early-on as George Ford tries to kick Wales into submission. I predict that this will see England ahead at half-time before they put their foot down in the second-half.

Wales Form

Wales limp into the Six Nations with questions over the make up of their four regional teams along with their suitability to truly contest at the championship in 2026.

A run of two wins across their last five should be seen as something of a positive considering they had lost their previous 18 full-international matches. Their woeful run of form has come on the back of a changing of the guard on the pitch, while managers have also come and gone.

On the field, Wales are out-matched across the pitch. England have built a superb squad crammed full of international talent. Meanwhile, Wales are struggling to unearth talent that can match the levels of the likes of Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Biggar, George North and Liam Williams.

A positive result in this match would be losing by less than two converted tries. Games between the pair have been tight, with the five previous matches when omitting their clash in 2025 decided by 12 points or less.

However, the gap between the pair is now as big as it has been for decades. England should view Wales as a team they should beat handsomely, and I back them to do just that.

Verdict

England v Wales

I am backing England to storm to a big win at Twickenham as Henry Arundell dots down for the home side.

Henry Arundell

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