Wales vs England rugby betting preview – Cardiff, August 17

Wales – -138.89 at Bovada
England – +120

Wales have revenge on the brain as they prepare for Saturday’s rugby international rematch with England.

Despite fielding a full-strength lineup, the Dragons came up short at Twickenham last weekend as Eddie Jones’ experimental side ran out 33-19 winners.

Yet apart from the odd enforced change, Warren Gatland is expected to field a similar squad for the return fixture at Principality Stadium.

Besides providing valuable match practice in the build-up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, this clash could also end up as a shootout for top spot in the rugby world rankings.

New Zealand’s position at the summit is vulnerable after their heavy loss to Australia, and another defeat to the Wallabies this weekend would open the door for one of the Home Nations to overtake the All Blacks.

Wales are currently second on 88.89 ranking points – a mere 0.15 short of the Kiwis – while England are in fourth on 87.34 points.

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Wales team news

The Welsh are without star fly-half Gareth Anscombe, who will miss the Rugby World Cup due to a serious knee injury. He joins Taulupe Faletau on the sidelines.

Wales squad: Liam Williams, George North, Jonathan Davies, Hadleigh Parkes, Josh Adams, Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies, Nicky Smith, Ken Owens, Tomas Francis, Jake Ball, Alun Wyn Jones (c), Aaron Wainwright, James Davies, Ross Moriarty. (Replacements: Elliot Dee, Wyn Jones, Dillon Lewis, Aaron Shingler, Josh Navidi, Aled Davies, Jarrod Evans, Owen Watkin.)

England team news

There is a highly anticipated debut for Ruaridh McConnochie, who won silver in the Rugby Sevens at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Tom Curry is out with a shoulder problem but should be right for RWC 2019.

England squad: Elliot Daly, Ruaridh McConnochie, Jonathan Joseph, Piers Francis, Joe Cokanasiga, George Ford (c), Willi Heinz, Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Dan Cole, Joe Launchbury, Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam, Billy Vunipola. (Replacements: Jamie George, Joe Marler, Kyle Sinckler, George Kruis, Jack Singleton, Ben Youngs, Owen Farrell, Manu Tuilagi.)

Wales vs England tryscorer betting

George North – Take your pick between the Welsh wingers. North wrote his name onto the scoresheet last weekend and is a +188 chance to do so again, according to the oddsmakers at Bovada.

Ruaridh McConnochie – From Rugby Sevens to the Rugby World Cup, McConnochie has enjoyed a hell of a ride in the past few years. The Bath winger is paying +200 to mark his England debut with a try.

Wales vs England match predictions

Wales by 1-12 points – +162 at Bovada

Anscombe and Faletau are big losses, but Wales are a very good side with plenty of depth in key positions. Back them to bounce back with a solid win at home.