Dragon-sized demons await as England look to conquer Welsh fear factor

Feb 10, 2017

On the surface, a trip across the Severn should be no different to any other away day for Eddie Jones’s team but the scars of past battles have not yet fully healed

There is a tongue-in-cheek line in Evelyn Waugh’s 1928 novel Decline and Fall – “We can trace almost all the disasters of English history to the influence of Wales” – that resonates on weekends like this. England have played international rugby across the Severn since 1882 yet there is never a year, even now, when they approach the bridge toll booths whistling the carefree tune of the entirely relaxed.

Tags: England rugby union team Rugby union Six Nations Six Nations 2017 Sport Wales rugby union team