It has been 20 years since Wales faced England in the opening game of the RBS 6 Nations in Cardiff and England team manager Martin Johnson has revealed he is relishing the special start.
The two sides will kick off the 2011 tournament on Friday 4 February in front of a packed Millennium Stadium.
“England against Wales in Cardiff is a special game,” Johnson told the RFU website.
“We want to play in big exciting games and let’s not play it down, opening the tournament down there on a Friday night is going to work really well.
“It’s going to be passionate for sure, as an Englishman it’s probably the most anti and hostile environment but that’s great, you want to play rugby in those places.
“It’s a great stadium, great occasion, we’re not going to hide away from that, it’s a cracking game to be involved in and what you get involved in rugby for.”
Having led England as captain in Cardiff many times, Johnson is only too aware of the importance of handling the pressure at the Stadium.
“It’s the first time some of our guys have played against the Welsh away so it’s another opportunity to show what they can do,” he added.
“There’s massive expectation but handling it as a team and producing a performance is what it’s all about.
“Some of our guys have only been playing international rugby for a year but how they are regarded in the world of rugby has changed enormously.
“When ever you play in big games it is important to remember it’s still just a game of rugby, so we need to establish what we want to do and stop them.
“Control is going to be very important for us. We won this game on tries 2-1 last time in Wales [in 2009] but lost by eight points. Not giving them the chance to kick the ball through the posts will be important. Also we will need to absorb pressure as they’ll want to go through phases, Wales present a different challenge.”
