Austin Healey predicts one-sided Six Nations clash at Twickenham - 'Does anybody in Wales team get into England side?'

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Austin Healey predicted a huge victory for England at Twickenham to kick off the Six Nations and claimed none of Wales' starting 15 would get into Steve Borthwick's side ahead of their opposite number. Healey backed England to win 48-12, while TNT Sports' other experts David Flatman, Ugo Monye and Alastair Eyken said that the hosts will win comfortably against their neighbours.

'Everything clicked' - Healey admits Wales could suffer record defeat against England

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Austin Healey believes none of Wales' starting side against England in the Six Nations would get into Steve Borthwick’s 15 ahead of their opposite number, with the TNT Sports pundit predicting a 48-12 victory for the hosts.

Speaking after Leicester Tigers’ 28-19 PREM Rugby Cup victory over Newcastle Red Bulls, Healey predicted England would secure their biggest Six Nations triumph over Wales at Twickenham since 2002.

Borthwick’s side battered Wales 68-14 at the Principality Stadium in last year’s tournament and, amid turmoil at the Welsh Rugby Union, Saturday’s visitors have only won two games since that day - both against Japan.

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Wales lost their four Quilter Nations series matches against South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina and Japan by 200-78 on aggregate. England, meanwhile, are on an 11-game win streak that includes triumphs over New Zealand, France and Argentina, twice.

Among TNT Sports’ other experts, David Flatman jokingly predicted a 47-13 English win while Ugo Monye and Alastair Eykyn backed the hosts to triumph by 15 and 35 points, respectively.

"It is just going to be a long old afternoon if you are a Welsh fan," Healey said. "And we work with quite a lot of Welsh people and they are more pessimistic than we are about their chances.

"You look at the match-ups, head-to-head, is there anybody in that Welsh team that would get across to that England team?

"I do not think [Louis Rees-Zammit] would against Freddie [Steward]. Maybe if he is on the wing you would have an argument. I do not think there is one player that gets in the England team.

"You always look at the head-to-heads and the match-ups, the power game that England have got, I think the front row of Wales is pretty strong and they will be able to be competitive at scrum-time but around the field, can they deal with the pace?

"I am just being honest and realistic. If you are asking me to predict, I think England will win something like 48-12."

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Steve Tandy selected Rees-Zammit at full-back instead of his favoured position on the wing in his first Six Nations game in charge of Wales, who have won the joint-most titles in the tournament alongside England.

Ellis Mee and veteran Josh Adams start alongside Rees-Zammit in the back three, the former Worcester Warrior bringing some valuable experience in an otherwise green backline anchored by a midfield of Dan Edwards, Ben Thomas and Eddie James.

The trio boast two starts and four Six Nations appearances between them and Tomos Williams links the backs and forwards at scrum-half.

In the pack, Nicky Smith and Archie Giffin sandwich captain Dewi Lake, who is moving to Gloucester in the summer, with Dafydd Jenkins and Adam Beard in the engine room. Jac Morgan is a major absentee in the back row, so Aaron Wainwright starts at number eight and is joined by Josh MacLeod and Alex Mann.

Meanwhile, Steward, Henry Arundell and Tom Roebuck start in the back three for England and Alex Mitchell, George Ford, Fraser Dingwall and Tommy Freeman are the other members of a Northampton Saints-tinged backline.

Ellis Genge, Jamie George and Joe Heyes pack down in a fearsome front row, supported by loose forwards Alex Coles, Ollie Chessum, Guy Pepper, Sam Underhill and Ben Earl.

Luke Cowan-Dickie, Bevan Rodd, Trevor Davison, Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, Ben Spencer, and Marcus Smith have been named as England's replacements, while Wales can call on Liam Belcher, Rhys Carre, Tomas Francis, Ben Carter, Taine Plumtree, Harri Deaves, Keiran Hardy and Mason Grady.

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"The first game of the Six Nations is really difficult for a side that has got high expectations like England have, to get everything clicking, to get everything going," Healey added.

"We saw last year in Cardiff everything clicked and we put in a really good performance. Will all that happen tomorrow? If it does I absolutely agree, England could put up a record score against Wales.

"Equally, Wales could come out, they will show a lot of passion, they will have been building towards this game and they could make it difficult for 15 minutes. But you look at the quality on the bench that England have got, the power, the pace."

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