A Welsh victory is not on the cards but there are those

A Welsh victory is not on the cards, but there are those in Neath and Newport who believe they detect it in the stars.. But there are occasional exceptions, as France reminded the world in 1999. Professional imperatives dictate that these days, method beats the pants off passion almost every time. If we hang off a team at this stage, if we’re not sufficiently physical and aggressive in defence, we’ll find ourselves in trouble.”The old stereotypes – passionate Wales against methodical England, the poor boys from the valleys against the supercilious cravats from the home counties – are hanging over this fixture like the unseasonal clouds beginning to blow in off the Pacific. The second-row combination of Martin Johnson and Ben Kay is so far and away the best in the tournament that the red rose army can fall right off their game and still be competitive in the areas that matter most, but Richard Hill’s continuing absence and a worrying set of problems at half-back leave them exposed, if only partially, to a talented attacking team willing both to dream and to dare.Matthew Dawson, a match-winner on his day, could use a hot performance after his trials and tribulations against Samoa; Jonny Wilkinson, too tense and insular for words at the moment, also needs to increase the temperature of his performance.

Even Dallaglio, as bullish as ever despite widespread criticism of his form at No 8, recognises the potential for embarrassment “It’s Sydney or London for us, isn’t it?” he said this week “We’re in reality land now. At a distance, the phrase “no contest” seemed more than a little relevant. Wales have not beaten England since the 1999 game at Wembley – Neil Back fumble, Lawrence Dallaglio tactical error, Scott Gibbs try at the death – and as recently as 23 August, Woodward saw his second-string team put 43 points past first-choice opposition in Cardiff.Over the last few days, however, the balance of assumptions has shifted. England should still win, and win comfortably, but a high rate of injury and an even higher penalty count have slowed their momentum. His supporters, who never counted the nakedly sizeist Henry among their number, have been screaming for his reinstatement at Test level since 2001, when he played against Ireland in a delayed Six Nations game and then disappeared into the ether.

If he lights the red touchpaper a second time, they will never have to scream again.Woodward cannot have seen much of this coming, if any of it. A significant amount of his planning, meticulous to the nth degree, would have been based around the presence of Martyn Williams, the Cardiff flanker, on the open side of the Welsh scrum, and the prospect of Gareth Thomas running hard at Ben Cohen on England’s left wing. There were some really difficult decisions in there, obviously, but we have a plan for this match and the people involved, both in the starting team and on the bench, are happy with what they’re doing.”There was always a strong possibility of this game taking place at this stage of the tournament: England might have lost to the Springboks in Perth, the Welsh might easily have messed up against Italy in Canberra, but the smart money backed a cross-Severn rumble on the Queensland coast. “Is it a brave selection? I don’t think I’m being overly brave in keeping Shane and Jonathan after the way they played against the All Blacks. Suddenly, the tournament favourites must think on their feet.”I’d be lying if I said the events of last week didn’t force me to reconsider one or two selections,” Hansen admitted after naming his side less than three hours before the 48-hour deadline. He may, having watched footage of the Wales-New Zealand epic, have considered the possibility of Jonathan Thomas holding his place in the back row, but would not have bet a brass farthing of his considerable salary on the 20-year-old newcomer starting at No 8. He has demoted two hardened Test forwards, Gareth Llewellyn and Martyn Williams, to the bench, and backed a 5ft 7in terrier with a dancer’s balance to run England off their feet.Shane Williams, 26 going on 18, gave New Zealand all manner of grief in Sydney last weekend, inspiring Wales to a four-try performance that fairly oozed adventure and romance.