THE SIX Nations may have been pretty uninspiring so far but that doesn't quell the anticipation for what will be a terrific occasion at Twickenham on Saturday.

With the title on the line and England going for World Cup revenge against Wales, it's not likely to be a dashing, free-flowing affair.

But it will be a shock if the result isn't in the balance as the clock approaches 80 – it will be tense and engrossing, the atmosphere will be cracking, the occasion will be spectacular and the collisions will be huge.

You could sense the excitement in Wales' Vale of Glamorgan headquarters as they fulfilled media duties on Tuesday; they feel they are big-match beasts in European encounters and are confident that they will derail another English championship challenge.

This is the defining game of the Six Nations, although a home win will mean that honour will go to the final round encounter between the English and French in Paris.

But for Wales there will be no Super Saturday – Italy in Cardiff will either be a coronation or merely a warm-up to what should be more feisty fixtures at the Aviva Stadium and Stade de France.

Warren Gatland will naturally not be considering the latter option but his selection will be interesting should it only be second place in the tournament up for grabs when the Azzurri visit.

That is because the hectic international rugby schedule is taking its toll on players; if punters are slightly weary with the amount of Test rugby then what about the players.

In some ways this is an odd time to be raising the issue as the England game is always one that captures the imagination.

But in World Cup year the fixture list is unnecessarily crammed, although powerhouse centre Jamie Roberts insisted this week that the Wales management team look after them well.

"It is not all full metal jacket in training. There is method in the madness in the way we train," said the Harlequins man.

"The medical and conditioning staff brilliant at managing the players. Warren knows when to peak in training as well, to get it right for Saturday and it is ultimately about those 80 minutes."

But given the kerfuffle last week over calls to ban tackling in schoolboy rugby, we need to be mindful of the demands put on senior players by the cash cow that is international rugby.

When Wales leave the field in Dunedin on June 25 they will have played 17 Tests plus a tour game against the Chiefs in 2015/16.

It's fair to say a large number of Gatland's squad will head from a swift beach break straight into a season that includes club commitments, four autumn internationals, the Six Nations and then a Lions tour.

For Roberts, Taulupe Faletau, Luke Charteris, George North and Leigh Halfpenny it will be a campaign in which their clubs will still want their value for money; while they want them to enjoy success with Wales, those writing the cheques at Quins, Bath, Northampton and Toulon want bang for their buck.

International rugby is the pinnacle and pays the bills but occasionally it has the feel of the same old, same old with questions about which French team will turn up, talk of Italian jobs, musings about whether Wales can edge out the Wallabies after being denied at the death in what seems like hundreds of recent meetings.

Twickenham promises to be a humdinger but less can be more on the Test stage.