Rugby

Wales unchanged for England clash

Date published: February 6 2018

Wales head coach Warren Gatland has named an unchanged XV for their Six Nations clash with England at Twickenham on Saturday.
There is just one change amongst the replacements with British & Irish Lion George North returning to wear jersey 23.
Leigh Halfpenny, who scored two tries as part of his 24-point haul against the Scots, lines up again alongside Josh Adams and Steff Evans in the back-three.
Hadleigh Parkes and Scott Williams continue their partnership in the midfield with Gareth Davies and Rhys Patchell the half-backs.
It is an all-Scarlet front row once again with Rob Evans, Ken Owens and Samson Lee packing down together. Cory Hill partners captain Alun Wyn Jones in the second row and Man-of-the-Match from last weekend, Aaron Shingler, lines up alongside Josh Navidi and Ross Moriarty in the back-row.
Wales head coach Gatland said: “It’s great to name an unchanged starting XV, the players deserve that for a very good performance on the opening weekend.
“We have made one change on the bench, with George coming in for Owen (Watkin), which is tough on Owen but Josh (Adams) picked up a slight strain last weekend so George provides us a bit more cover there.
“We know how tough it is going to be against that huge English forward pack. They are really going to test us. England have been in great form the last couple of years so we know the challenge we face but we have had a good couple of weeks in camp and we are looking forward to going up to Twickenham.”
Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Josh Adams, 13 Scott Williams, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Steff Evans, 10 Rhys Patchell, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Ross Moriarty, 7 Josh Navidi, 6 Aaron Shingler, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c), 4 Cory Hill, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Rob Evans
Replacements: 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Wyn Jones, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Bradley Davies, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Aled Davies, 22 Gareth Anscombe, 23 George North
Date: Saturday, February 10
Venue: Twickenham
Kick-off: 16:45 GMT
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant referees: Mathieu Reynal (France), Nic Berry (Australia)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)

Lions duo back in Wales mix

Date published: February 6 2018
British and Irish Lions duo George North and Liam Williams appear to be back in contention for Wales selection, having trained with the squad on Monday ahead of Saturday's Six Nations showdown at Twickenham.
North injured his knee during Northampton Saints' defeat to Harlequins on January 30 but played well on his comeback against the same side in Friday’s 36-10 win in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, scoring a try.
Meanwhile, Williams tore his groin ligaments in a November 18 international clash against Georgia. Saracens had rehabbed him extensively for the injury, opting against taking the surgical route.
But the 26-year-old felt very sore when making his comeback for Saracens in the 15-15 Champions Cup draw with Ospreys a month ago.
However, after a second round of rehab, he is fit and ready to play, but question marks remain whether he should have undergone surgery.
Wales kicked off their Six Nations campaign with a 34-7 home triumph over Scotland in Cardiff on Saturday, despite a plethora of injuries.
They will take on back-to-back champions England who dispatched of Italy in Rome on Sunday.


Glasgow Warriors have announced that wing Leonardo Sarto will be sidelined for the rest of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Sarto sustained the injury during the Warriors' win over Exeter Chiefs last month.
The Italian international wing boasts a record of a try for every two games since, having scored nine in 18 since joining Glasgow in the summer of 2016 from PRO14 rivals Zebre.
Sarto has won 34 caps for the Azzurri.

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