England vs Wales, Six Nations 2024: Kick-off time, TV channel, live stream, team news, lineups, h2h, odds
England look to make it two wins from two at the start of their Six Nations campaign as they host Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.
Steve Borthwick's side got up and running in Rome with a 27-24 victory over Italy, though they trailed at half-time and it was a sluggish performance, against an Italian side with just one Six Nations win to their name in the past decade.
With trips to face Scotland and France to come, either side of a Twickenham clash against Ireland, England will be desperate to produce a much-improved display this weekend and ensure a new era, without the likes of Owen Farrell, Courtney Lawes and Ben Youngs, does not already begin to falter.
England made a poor start in Rome, though that was nothing compared to how Wales began their opening match against Scotland. The Wales supporters were left stunned in Cardiff, as the home side fell 27-0 behind after 43 minutes.
A heavy defeat appeared to be on the cards, but Wales rallied superbly, tries from James Botham, Rio Dyer, Aaron Wainwright and Alex Mann giving them hope of pulling off a remarkable comeback. Scotland just about held on though, securing a nervy 27-26 win.
Warren Gatland now takes his squad to Twickenham looking to improve on a woeful Welsh run of just two wins in 11 Six Nations matches, having finished the championship in fifth in each of the past two years.
Wales fell just short of a remarkable comeback win against Scotland
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England vs Wales date, kick-off time and venue
England vs Wales takes place on Saturday February 10, 2024, with kick-off scheduled for 4:45pm GMT.
The match will be hosted at Twickenham.
How to watch England vs Wales
TV channel: England vs Wales is being shown live in the UK free-to-air on ITV1, with coverage beginning at 4pm.
Live stream: You can catch a free live stream online via the ITVX app and website.
Live blog:Standard Sport's live match blog, featuring expert analysis from rugby correspondent Nick Purewal at the ground.
England vs Wales team news
Marcus Smith will once again be unavailable for England, having missed out on the opening win over Italy with a calf injury.
The 24-year-old picked up the issue during England’s training camp in Girona ahead of the Six Nations and it remains to be seen how long he will be out for. George Ford is set to continue at fly-half, with Fin Smith potentially featuring again off the bench.
Ellis Genge has been named in a 36-man squad, as he looks to make a swift return after being late withdrawal against Italy with a foot problem. Beno Obano took his place on the bench in Rome, but Genge is in contention to face Wales.
"I'd be really hopeful that Ellis is available for next weekend," Borthwick said. "He trained on Thursday and felt something. He had a scan on his foot on Friday morning. There was a small, acute recurrence of something that happened in the past."
George Martin has joined up with the squad to continue his rehabilitation from a knee injury.
Marcus Smith has been ruled out with injury again
PA
Wales will be without James Botham, who picked up a knee injury in the dramatic defeat to Scotland. The flanker scored a try but was replaced minutes later, and has not been included in the squad to face England.
Alex Mann was his replacement and he too scored a try, with the 22-year-old potentially doing enough to earn a start. Prop Dillon Lewis and lock Seb Davies have both been called-up by Gatland.
Taulupe Faletau and Jac Morgan remain long-term injury absentees, while fly-half Sam Costelow is a doubt after he was forced off in the first-half against Scotland. Wales have confirmed it is not a concussion problem, but rather a neck issue.
George North is in a race to prove his fitness, after missing out with a shoulder injury last weekend, but Will Rowlands is in contention having missed Wales' opener due to the birth of his child.
England vs Wales head to head (h2h) history and results
England won the last meeting between the two nations, in the summer ahead of the World Cup, and also battled to a 20-10 victory in Cardiff 12 months ago.
It is nine years since Wales last beat England at Twickenham, and 12 years since they did so in the Six Nations.
England vs Wales prediction
It is difficult to know what to expect from these two sides, particularly Wales after such a mixed display against Scotland.
Should they play like they did in the second-half for a full 80 minutes at Twickenham, there is every chance they come away with victory, but a repeat of that awful start and it could be another miserable trip to London for Gatland's side.
England got the job done against Italy, though it was little more than that. A revamped squad will of course need time to fully click into gear, but is still important that there are at least signs of an attacking edge beyond a kicking game.
It may well prove to be a scrappy affair, with confidence not particularly high in either camp, but as in Rome, we're going for England to do enough to pick up another win, even if questions remain over the performance.
