Wales vs England: Can calm heads prevail over fire-breathing Red Dragon again, or will Cardiff have it’s day?

England’s ability to not allow the passion and emotion of the Welsh cloud their judgement will decide how this Grand Slam eliminator ends

It does not get more combustible than Wales vs England in Cardiff, with the Grand Slam on the line and history beckoning for the Red Dragon.

But throw into the mix Kyle Sinckler, Ross Moriarty and Owen Farrell, on top of the simmering rivalry between Warren Gatland and Eddie Jones, and the looming showcase that is the Rugby World Cup, and you have all the ingredients for what may prove the biggest Six Nations match that, arguably, we’ve ever seen.

There are factors aplenty that back up this argument – too many to list all of them – and while many will point to the fact that this will be the last time Gatland faces England in the Six Nations as Wales boss (and possibly Jones’ last as England head coach depending on how the rest of the year plays out) the simple answer is this: the Welsh hate losing to the England, the English hate losing to the Welsh.

The last time England ventured across the River Severn and into enemy territory, that ferocity could be seen between two of the aforementioned trio. Moriarty went about knocking 10 bells out of Farrell – then playing at centre outside George Ford – in the knowledge that if Wales could get to him, then they could get to the heart of England.

If that was the case then, it is even more prevalent now. Farrell is England’s first name on the teamsheet, the leading fly-half in the world in 2019 and the captain of the form team in the world. That will give Moriarty and cohorts Josh Navidi, Justin Tipuric and Alun Wyn Jones all the motivation needed to take aim at the No 10 and ensure he knows he’s not at Twickenham anymore – by legal means, of course.

Two years ago it was Moriarty’s borderline charge on Farrell that left him writhing in agony on the Principality Stadium turf. The tackle, which was made momentarily after Farrell dispatched a kick up-field, was deemed legal, and after treatment Farrell returned to his feet to see out the match. It would be the Englishman who would have the last laugh though, whipping across the beauty of a pass for Elliot Daly to round run in the match-winning try.

What prevailed? Calm heads.

Cardiff is known for a trick or two if history is anything to go by. Whether it be a goat on the field before kick-off, a delay in the tunnel or tricks with the roof, you’re never quite sure what’s coming in the Welsh capital. But that’s exactly why Farrell knows both he and his teammates will need calm heads.

"We want to be right for kick-off, not before that,” said the England captain on the eve of the match that will likely leave one side gunning for the Grand Slam and the other consigned to the also-rans. “If anything does get thrown at us, I'd expect or hope we would be calm enough to deal with it.

“We are looking to do the same as we have done for the past two games. Emotionally we have been spot on. And that's not by chance - it is because the lads have built it up in the right way, and made sure they're firing on whatever time the kick-off is.

“That is showed by the way we have started games. I am sure they [Wales] will be up for this game, we have got to make sure we are in the right place.”

Owen Farrell believes England will be able to keep calm heads amid the hostility of the Principality Stadium (EPA)

Jones has been vocal on this front over the last fortnight. Claims of “ripping heads off” and “greatest Welsh team ever” have fallen on deaf ears across the Bridge – the media too, who Jones alleged made these claims so that he could respond to them regardless of their basis.

But where the two teams do differ is how they will fuel their desire. Wales, as usual, will wear their heart on their sleeves, roared on by a partisan crowd that is just short of baying for blood. England on the over hand will try to take the sting out of Wales early one, especially given their run of scoring a try inside the first five minutes of their last five Tests. That will all start with Farrell’s team talk, and while his counterpart, Alun Wyn Jones, is famously one to embrace the passion of the moment, the England skipper will pick and choose his words carefully.

“I think you can be too tense,” adds Farrell, “and it causes you to do things you don't normally do. Games like this, big games, are usually about doing the simple things well, not trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat, and being ready to do that for 80 minutes. That's what we will be trying to do on Saturday.

“I don’t think I’ve ever beaten my chest. I’d hope that I would get a decent feel for what is needed, as would all the rest of the leaders. They are very good at saying what the team feels like. We wouldn’t go in with too much planned to say. It would all be a feel of where the team is at. If the team is too revved up they need a calming influence. If the team is not revved up enough they need a fire-up influence. But that’s not just from me, it’s from a good number of players and at the moment our leadership group has been very good at feeling what the team needs.”

Jones has pointed out exactly what England need this week: to pick and choose their moments like a heavyweight boxer does, waiting for the split-second where the knockout blow is available. But then England attempted that in 2013, and were blown out of Cardiff in a 30-3 mauling that was built on passion, pride and damn-near hatred. If England get their approach wrong, Wales will be there to pick up the pieces, and the Six Nations battle will subsequently be blown wide open by the fearsome Red Dragon.