Match Previews 
/ Will Greenwood / 03 February 2011 / Leave a Comment 
England captain Lewis Moody won't be available but everyone knows about the intense rivalry between England and Wales
World Cup winner Will Greenwood knows more about scoring for England against Wales than any man in the history of the game. This week he launches his Betfair Six Nations zone with some some exciting bets on Friday's match, picks the winners from the rest of the weekend's action and selects five bets for the tournament...
As the opening Six Nations match in a World Cup year and with the history between the two nations, Wales v England on Friday night is going to be immense. It's the greatest game in the greatest stadium and I wish I could pull my boots on and have one last crack at the Welsh.
England are deserved [1.66[ favourites to get off to a winning start but it won't be easy. They're a better side than Wales on paper but the atmosphere in Cardiff is unbelievable, the Millenium is a beautiful stadium and it will be buzzing at kick-off. This match will be less about individual performances, more about team mettle, standing up in the Dragon's cauldron and coming away with no regrets.
Warren Gatland's attempts to wind up Dylan Hartley were brilliant. Martin Johnson has responded, ex-players like Jeremy Guscott and Jonathan Davies have got involved and all these niggles add to the occasion. Getting stuck in before a match as big as this one is just what you want to see.
There are plenty of battles to relish all over the pitch but the bottom line is that each player must out do his opposite number. Mike Tindall and Shontayne Hape's clash with James Hook - if he plays there - and Jamie Roberts in the centre is key, while two of the nicest guys in the world, Toby Flood and Stephen Jones, can't be nice on Friday night. The contest up front is intriguing too; England must go after the Welsh scrum as they have a clear advantage, but the home side will aim to dominate in the line-out.
The Welsh fans will sing for the whole eighty minutes and their players will get a massive lift from the partisan atmosphere. England scrum-half Ben Youngs can silence the home support by scoring a try and I hope he celebrates as he did when he went over for Leicester against the Scarlets a few weeks ago. Youngs has the arrogance about him that England players need in order to succeed in Cardiff. People think arrogance is a bad thing but in rugby it can be an asset.
I'm encouraged by the progress England have made in the last few months. They will have learned from their autumn defeat to South Africa and been buoyed by the victory over Australia. They have come together and there is great spirit in the camp.
I expect England to win this one and go into their three home games with momentum. I scored the winning try when the Red Rose last triumphed in Cardiff, in 2003, the score that day was 25-9 but I expect the home side to get a few more points on the board on Friday. I don't expect England to cover the 12.5 points in the winning margin market but they can win by around 25-17, which would cover the 2.5 handicap. I'm backing England -2.5 at [1.9] and I can't wait. Truly, it's going to be immense.
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