England kick off their 2026 Six Nations campaign at home to Wales this afternoon. Confidence is sky-high in the home camp amid an 11-match winning run that included an autumn clean sweep and memorable defeat of New Zealand, with many believing that this team are fully capable of challenging France for a first title since 2020. Such an impressive streak has long since banished any doubts over Steve Borthwick’s future as head coach and he has made strong use of their formidable strength in depth with a World Cup in 2027 on the horizon.
Wales, meanwhile, have lost their last 11 Six Nations games in a row - including a record-breaking 10-try, 68-14 demolition by runners-up England in Cardiff last year - while collecting consecutive wooden spoons and approach this year’s competition with rugby in the country still in a state of crisis. They have lost 21 of their last 23 games, with a pair of nervy victories over Japan ending their abysmal 18-match losing run - their only wins since the 2023 World Cup.
New coach Steve Tandy will hope the return of Louis Rees-Zammit can help his side at Twickenham, where Borthwick has captain Maro Itoje on the bench and is without Immanuel Feyi-Waboso due to injury. Follow England vs Wales live below!
England vs Wales latest news
- TRY! Earl piles more misery on undermanned Wales
- TRY! Arundell again after two Welsh yellow cards
- TRY! Arundell scores after early Ford penalty
- England team news: Feyi-Waboso replaced by Roebuck
- Italy stun Scotland in major Rome upset
England 29-0 Wales
17:28 , George FloodStandard Sport’s Oli Gent at Allianz Stadium Twickenham
That just sums Wales up. Sloppiness not just out of possession, but in as well.
Arundell has his hat-trick after Thomas and Rees-Zammit are on different wavelengths. This is an absolute mauling.
TRY! England 29-0 Wales | Henry Arundell 36'
17:26 , George Flood36 mins: Just abysmal for Wales after Thomas’ dreadful pass intended for Rees-Zammit.
Dingwall helps himself off the deck and Arundell is quickly off to the races for a first-half hat-trick.
Ford kicks over another conversion.
Bonus point in the bag for England.
England 22-0 Wales
17:24 , George Flood33 mins: Tomos Williams smartly makes sure the referee does not let Genge off for not rolling away and being on the wrong side of the breakdown.
Wales kick for the lineout in the England 22, which is promptly lost with an errant throw. Deary me.
Here come England and Ford sets Chessum punching through space before Williams makes a crucial recovery tackle.
How many times have we seen England target that 13 channel?
England 22-0 Wales
17:20 , George FloodStandard Sport’s Oli Gent at Allianz Stadium Twickenham
That's what Freddie Steward is in the side for.
Quick thinking as he screams at Ford to take the lineout quickly.
He drives forward to gain ground before smashing through two robust challenges.
England 22-0 Wales
17:19 , George Flood30 mins: Early engagement at scrum time from England but Wales can’t take advantage and a rare opportunity to apply some pressure of their own in this hopelessly one-sided first half is lost.
They engaged early too to hand England a reprieve inside their 22.
England 22-0 Wales
17:18 , George FloodStandard Sport’s Oli Gent at Allianz Stadium Twickenham
Sod this, says Wainwright as we see the first No8 pickup from the Welsh scrum.
The Dragons back row makes some crucial metres for the visitors, before the play is brought back for the penalty.
The resulting lineout is wasted, however, with Chessum rising highest before Heyes claims it, but knocks it on as he falls.
England 22-0 Wales
17:17 , George Flood27 mins: Wales have the penalty and kick to touch in England’s 22 as Lake and Smith return.
James and Mann also return, with Belcher and Carre back off.
The towering Chessum plays disruptor at the lineout again, but this time he’s knocked it on.
Scrum red. Can they hit back with a full complement restored?
England 22-0 Wales
17:15 , George FloodStandard Sport’s Oli Gent at Allianz Stadium Twickenham
Ellis Genge warned in the build-up to this match that while Wales were in "turmoil" and "damaged" following their shocking run of form, they were still a threat to England.
The first half of that, at least, is definitely correct, as Earl crashes over in the corner to finish off another superb, flowing move.
TRY! England 22-0 Wales | Ben Earl 24'
17:13 , George Flood24 mins: Try number three for England already.
Wales’ 13 men are being torn apart here as you might expect, with England engineering another overload out left before Earl blasts through Mee to score.
Ford converts. This is getting very ugly for Wales, very fast.
England 15-0 Wales
17:09 , George FloodStandard Sport’s Oli Gent at Allianz Stadium Twickenham
England's stand-off is a joy to watch when he's in this flow.
Sure, he's got it easy this afternoon, but you can't fault the shimmies out of tight areas, the speed at which he can find the perfect pass, and his eye for goal.
He is really pulling all the strings here.
England 15-0 Wales
17:08 , George FloodStandard Sport’s Oli Gent at Allianz Stadium Twickenham
Oh, that is absolutely glorious from Ford.
Acres of space to produce his magic, and a delicate clip over the top with the outside of his boot lands perfectly into the arms of Arundell, who runs in for his second.
Credit to Rees-Zammit for chasing down the conversion, however, with England's No10 off the mark with that one as the Welsh full-back charges at him like a bull.
The only red shirt to do so.
TRY! England 15-0 Wales | Henry Arundell 19'
17:05 , George Flood19 mins: The 13 men have no chance of stopping England after the scrum, with the ball quickly recycled left before Ford sets up Arundell again with a lovely diagonal chip.
Ford’s conversion is off target.
England 10-0 Wales
17:04 , George FloodStandard Sport’s Oli Gent at Allianz Stadium Twickenham
What on earth is Lake doing there. That's a headlock, out of pure frustration and desperation than anything else.
England 10-0 Wales
17:03 , George Flood18 mins: Liam Belcher and Rhys Carre are both going to have to come on for the scrum here with two front-rowers in the bin - including their captain.
Flanker Mann and centre James are sacrificed.
England 10-0 Wales
17:02 , George FloodStandard Sport’s Oli Gent at Allianz Stadium Twickenham
Smith is in the sin bin and as I said, things are going from bad to worse for Wales.
Inches from the line, Roebuck tries to dive over, but is held up... and there's a second yellow for Lake, with the visitors down to 13!
England 10-0 Wales
17:01 , George Flood16 mins: Yet another Welsh infringement under pressure in the 22 and loosehead Nicky Smith is going to the bin.
Wales down to 14 men.
England 10-0 Wales
17:00 , George Flood15 mins: Some early bombs and inventive spiral kicks are putting Wales under all sorts of pressure deep inside their 22.
Rees-Zammit does incredibly well to take that in, but England are quickly back attacking after the lineout.
Another infringement follows from Jenkins, who isn’t binding at the maul.
Referee Brousset wants a word with Welsh skipper Lake.
A yellow is coming here very soon.
England 10-0 Wales
16:58 , George FloodStandard Sport’s Oli Gent at Allianz Stadium Twickenham
Superb from Coles to turn over the Welsh lineout with a strong flick of the wrist.
Ford looks to get his side up the pitch with a diagonal cross-field kick, which Adams is able to sweep up.
But again, it's that extra desire from the hosts that Steve Tandy's visitors just cannot match at present.
England 10-0 Wales
16:56 , George Flood12 mins: Still the Wales penalty count ticks up and up as England take risks and win a smart turnover.
Ford lines up another kick at goal for 13-0, but is stopped in his tracks and the penalty is then reversed after some needless aggression from Genge, who has cost his team three points there after squaring up and pushing his opposite number.
England 10-0 Wales
16:54 , George FloodStandard Sport’s Oli Gent at Allianz Stadium Twickenham
The way this match has started, this could get ugly and quickly for Wales.
A lack of discipline, a lack of hunger under the high ball, and England able to flash it from side to side with ease.
England 10-0 Wales
16:53 , George FloodStandard Sport’s Oli Gent at Allianz Stadium Twickenham
The crowd roar their approval as England win two penalties in quick succession with the ball being knocked forward by the Welsh.
A roar as the maul gains some vital yards and it's span out through the hands, with England getting closer to the Welsh line... and finally, they find that extra yard, as Henry Arundell speeds through, breaking the challenge of Mee in the corner to dot down for his ninth international score.
TRY! England 10-0 Wales | Henry Arundell 9'
16:51 , George Flood9 mins: Wales cannot hold out as Ford whips the ball out left to Arundell, who waltzes in to score on his first Test start since the 2023 World Cup.
Ford steps up and slots over the conversion.
England properly up and running as Wales are punished for their ill-discipline.
England 3-0 Wales
16:49 , George Flood7 mins: Back-to-back cheap penalties shipped by Wales and in a flash England are into the 22 and camped just outside the try line.
A fourth penalty of the match already follows and England quickly tap and go...
England 3-0 Wales
16:48 , George Flood5 mins: Wales have a penalty after an aerial collision between Steward and Mee.
They safely claim their own lineout ball and look to set up a decent platform for attack, though Jenkins is pinged for offside at the maul.
Chance missed.
England 3-0 Wales
16:45 , George FloodStandard Sport’s Oli Gent at Allianz Stadium Twickenham
Already a chance for England to get on the scoreboard with an offside, and George Ford lines it up from the tee.
The crowd goes silent for a moment. There's the head cock, he takes aim... and it's the perfect start.
PENALTY! England 3-0 Wales | George Ford 4'
16:44 , George Flood4 mins: An early kicking battle ensues with England not afraid to go long on multiple occasions already off the boot.
Underhill charges down a Rees-Zammit kick and England are piling on the pressure with a penalty advantage.
We eventually come back for the penalty, which Ford slots through with ease.
England 0-0 Wales
16:42 , George FloodStandard Sport’s Oli Gent at Allianz Stadium Twickenham
It will be interesting to see how Tom Roebuck does on the right flank this afternoon.
Scrum coach Tom Harrison said yesterday that "ideally, he'd have had an extra week" worth of recovery before his return from a toe injury, but needs must here, replacing Feyi-Waboso out wide.
England vs Wales
16:42 , George FloodHere we go!
French referee Pierre Brousset gets us underway.
Will this be as big a win for England as most are predicting?
Time to find out...
Teams are out
16:38 , George FloodThe players are out at a wet, cold and grey Twickenham, where there’s the usual pre-match light show and pyrotechnics to puncture the February gloom.
The national anthems are coming up after a minute’s silence.
England fans show support for Maro Itoje
16:36 , George FloodStandard Sport’s Oli Gent at Allianz Stadium Twickenham
A bigger roar from the Twickenham crowd for Maro Itoje than any other player as the captain's name is read out over the tannoy.
He is among the replacements today after missing the England training camp in Girona due to his mother Florence's tragic passing in December.
He attended the funeral a couple of weeks ago and Borthwick said earlier this week that it was "the right thing" for all parties for him not to start.
A big absence, although Jamie George leads from the front at hooker.
Kick-off approaching
16:30 , George FloodFinal preparations at Twickenham, where plenty of rain has fallen this afternoon.
Could a wet ball, slick pitch and aerial bombardment give Wales a glimmer of hope?
Itoje ends seven-year run of England Six Nations starts
16:15 , George FloodHere are more pre-match thoughts from Standard Sport’s Oli Gent at Twickenham, including the remarkable statistic of today being the first Six Nations game for almost seven years without Maro Itoje starting for England...
🗣️ "It's the first time in almost seven years that Itoje hasn't started in the Six Nations."@oli_gent is in position to preview England vs Wales at Twickenham
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) February 7, 2026
LIVE: https://t.co/6w11GqnHVd#ENGvWAL | #SixNations | #GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/qrDheFFBwi
England hope to avoid same fate as Scotland
16:11 , George FloodStandard Sport’s Oli Gent at Allianz Stadium Twickenham
A huge shock at the Stadio Olimpico as Scotland have fallen to a 18-15 defeat to Italy.
England will be hoping not to suffer a similar fate this afternoon against a Wales side that has won just two of their last 23 internationals.
Italy stun Scotland in major Rome upset
16:09 , George FloodA major shock on opening weekend in Rome, where Scotland have just fallen at the first hurdle.
Italy stun Gregor Townsend’s side 18-15 at the Stadio Olimpico after early tries from Louis Lynagh and Tommaso Menoncello, plus eight points from the boot of Paolo Garbisi.
Jack Dempsey and George Horne both crossed for Scotland, who got five points from Finn Russell.
Wow. An absolute disaster for the Scots, whose run at a first-ever Six Nations title already looks to be over for 2026 amid swirling rumours over Townsend’s future.
They host England at Murrayfield next weekend.
Another major sign of progress for the Azzurri, who go to Dublin to face injury-plagued Ireland in round two.
Fit-again Roebuck ready after replacing injured Feyi-Waboso
15:49 , George FloodImmanuel Feyi-Waboso being a late scratch from the England team on the eve of today’s game means he misses out on a first appearance against the country of his birth, whom he represented at youth level before committing his Test future to England in 2024.
It is another setback for the flying Exeter wing, who missed the entire 2025 Six Nations after shoulder surgery and was then suspended for the summer tour to Argentina before featuring throughout the autumn.
"Steve said the other day he'd be ready in a couple of days. In an ideal world, we'd have given him an extra week but the world isn't ideal, as we know," scrum coach Tom Harrison said yesterday of Tom Roebuck, picked over Elliot Daly to replace Feyi-Waboso.
"He trained fully on Thursday and he's been exceptional around the squad. I'm excited to see him go.
"We do a really good job around what ifs, what might happen and combinations. Does it disrupt some plans?
“Yes it does because it's changing a player, but we've done everything we can to make sure the next player is ready."
England ready to deliver as they eye first grand slam in 10 years
15:34 , George FloodThere has not been this much enthusiasm around England’s prospects in the Six Nations for some time, writes Ben Coles.
The optimism is built not only on their run of 11 Test wins in a row, including a first home win over New Zealand since 2012, but also on the scope there is for a young side to continue to improve under Steve Borthwick heading into next year’s Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Borthwick and one of the senior players, Jamie George, have been open about England’s expectations, with Borthwick stating that the team wants to see “fans flooding across the Channel to Paris to come and watch in a massive encounter on the final round with the opportunity to achieve what we want”.
By which he means, winning it all against Les Bleus at the Stade de France.
George added to that by saying that England’s record has not been good enough.
“We want to be at the top, we want to win things, and we have got too many second places and too many third places”.
He is bang on the money there.
Read the match preview in full here
England vs Wales prediction
15:22 , George FloodBased on recent history in this match-up and overall form, it’s hard to realistically predict anything but a comfortable home win.
England are the third-ranked team in world rugby having won their past 11 games, while Wales have lost 21 of their last 23 outings, only beating Japan (twice) in that time.
That run includes an unprecedented 18-Test losing streak and two Six Nations tournaments passing without a victory, resulting in consecutive wooden spoons which Tandy will be desperate to avoid turning into a hat-trick.
Wales’ last Six Nations win was earned in March 2023 against Italy, who have since bumped them out of the world’s top 10.
Perhaps Tandy’s previous experience as a defensive coach will at the very least stem the bleeding of points to give his side a chance of ending that run.
Doing so at Twickenham may well be a step too far, even if two of their last three losses against England were by just two points, but the visitors will surely put up more of a fight than last time.
England to win, by 20 points.
Wales lineup
15:18 , George FloodWales XV: Rees-Zammit; Mee, James, B Thomas, Adams; Edwards, T Williams; Smith, Lake (c), Griffin; D Jenkins, Beard; Mann, Macleod, Wainwright
Replacements: Belcher, Carre, T Francis, Carter, Plumtree, Deaves, Hardy, Grady
Eddie James and Mason Grady back for Wales after injury
15:13 , George FloodIn the Welsh backs, Eddie James - like Scarlets team-mate Macleod - returns in midfield after not playing at all in the autumn due to injury.
He is partnered by Ben Thomas, with Tomos Williams joined at half-back by Dan Edwards.
Alongside Rees-Zammit in the back three are wings Josh Adams and Ellis Mee.
Tandy has overlooked both Blair Murray and Tom Rogers.
Wales also go with a 6-2 bench split, with the only back cover coming from scrum-half Kieran Hardy and the fit-again Mason Grady.
Francis is joined as forward cover by Liam Belcher, Rhys Carre, Ben Carter, Taine Plumtree and Harri Deaves.
Lake captains Wales again as McLeod steps in for Morgan
15:03 , George FloodWith Jac Morgan out, hooker Dewi Lake once again takes on the captaincy for Wales this afternoon.
He is joined in the front row by Nicky Smith of Leicester and Bath’s Archie Griffin, with Tomas Francis - who will join Sale next season - on the bench after being recalled to the Test fold having not playing internationally since the 2023 World Cup.
Dafydd Jenkins and Adam Beard are at lock, with Alex Mann and Aaron Wainwright joined in the back row by four-cap Scarlets flanker Josh Macleod, who makes his Six Nations debut aged 29 in place of injured skipper Morgan.
Louis Rees-Zammit picked at full-back for Wales
14:55 , George FloodFor Wales, the standout selection is of course that of Louis Rees-Zammit, who is now back and thriving in rugby at Bristol after calling time on his NFL experiment.
He made his international return in the autumn and lines up at full-back today, with Steve Tandy hoping that he can provide some X-factor and sprinkle a bit of stardust on what many anticipate will be a very tough afternoon indeed for his side.
Remarkably, this will be the first time that Rees-Zammit has ever played for Wales at Twickenham during his career.
Wales’ fortunes are not helped by a number of injuries, including to the likes of Taulupe Faletau, Christ Tshiunza, Max Llewellyn and of course usual captain Jac Morgan, their only Test Lion last summer who dislocated his shoulder against Argentina in November.
England lineup
14:49 , George FloodEngland XV: Steward; Roebuck, Freeman, Dingwall, Arundell; Ford, Mitchell; Genge, George (c), Heyes; Coles, Chessum; Pepper, Underhill, Earl
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Rodd, Davison, Itoje, T Curry, Pollock, Spencer, M Smith
Henry Arundell makes first England start since 2023 World Cup
14:48 , George FloodEngland have a familiar half-back pairing of Alex Mitchell and George Ford, backed up by Ben Spencer and the versatile Marcus Smith in the usual 6-2 bench split from Borthwick.
Northampton duo Fraser Dingwall and Tommy Freeman line up in the centres, with Freddie Steward continuing at full-back and likely to face an aerial bombardment from Wales this afternoon as they try and disrupt the hosts’ attacking rhythm.
Roebuck fills in for Feyi-Waboso as mentioned, with arguably the most eye-catching selection of all on the left wing - where Henry Arundell makes his first Test start since the 2023 World Cup after returning from Racing 92 in France to join Bath last summer.
Look for him to make a serious impact today.
George Furbank is back in England’s wider 36-man tournament squad, along with the uncapped trio of Greg Fisilau, Vilikesa ‘Billy’ Sela and Emmanuel Iyogun.
Ben Curry may not be fit at all for the Six Nations and has been replaced for now by Jack Kenningham.
England battling prop issues
14:39 , George FloodWith Itoje only on the bench, Alex Coles and Ollie Chessum are chosen as the starting lock pairing for England.
George is flanked in the front row by Ellis Genge and Joe Heyes, with Bevan Rodd and three-cap veteran Trevor Davison providing cover amid something of a prop crisis that sees Borthwick missing the likes of Will Stuart, Fin Baxter and Asher Opoku-Fordjour for the duration of the Six Nations.
The back row has a familiar look from the autumn, with Bath flanker Guy Pepper keeping his place alongside Sam Underhill and Ben Earl.
Tom Curry and ascending superstar Henry Pollock - who scored two tries off the bench in Cardiff last year - only making the list of replacements showcases England’s supreme strength in depth.
Itoje on England bench with George stepping in as captain
14:33 , George FloodElsewhere for England, skipper Maro Itoje is only on the bench this afternoon after joining up with their pre-Six Nations training camp in Girona late after attending the funeral of his mother Florence in Nigeria.
Hooker Jamie George gets back the captaincy temporarily, though Itoje will take on his usual duties when he comes onto the field.
George was previously replaced by Saracens team-mate Itoje as England captain in the lead-up to the 2025 Six Nations, having performed the role since the 2023 World Cup.
He also co-captained the team along with George Ford during last year’s summer tour to Argentina, until getting the late call to join Itoje on British and Irish Lions duty in Australia.
England team news: Injured Feyi-Waboso replaced by Roebuck
14:23 , George FloodEngland were dealt an injury blow in the build-up to their Six Nations curtain-raiser after Immanuel Feyi-Waboso left training early at Pennyhill Park on Thursday with an unspecified leg muscle issue.
He was later ruled out on the eve of the game, with Tom Roebuck returning a week earlier than expected from a toe injury that had kept him out since the win over New Zealand in the autumn to step straight in on the right wing.
Roebuck - along with the likes of Ollie Lawrence and Fin Smith - was previously predicted by Steve Borthwick to be back in contention for the Calcutta Cup trip to face Scotland at Murrayfield next weekend.
It is unclear at this stage if Feyi-Waboso will return for that match in round two.
How to watch England vs Wales
14:18 , George FloodTV channel: In the UK, England vs Wales is being shown live and free to air on ITV1 and STV, with coverage beginning at 3:45pm GMT.
Live stream: Live coverage of the game will also be available for online streaming via the ITVX website and app, which is free with a registration.
England vs Wales live
14:16 , George FloodHello and welcome to Standard Sport’s live coverage of England vs Wales in the Six Nations.
The final fixture of round one pits potential title contenders riding an 11-match winning streak against old rivals who have lost their last 11 games in a row in this competition, collecting successive wooden spoons against a backdrop of an ongoing crisis in Welsh rugby.
Confident England are looking to emulate the sky-high standard set by defending champions France as they blew away injury-hit Ireland on opening night in Paris, having ran in 10 tries against lowly Wales during a record-breaking 68-14 thrashing on Super Saturday in Cardiff last year.
Kick-off is at 4:40pm GMT, so stick with us for match build-up, team news and live game updates, including analysis from Oli Gent at Allianz Stadium Twickenham.
