Gatland puts faith in Anscombe to face England

Gareth Anscombe has been preferred to Dan Biggar in Wales’ starting line-up for the Six Nations blockbuster showdown with England in Cardiff on Saturday.

Anscombe is restored to the side after Biggar came in at number 10 for the victory over Italy before the rest weekend.

Biggar will be among the replacements at the Principality Stadium after recovering from a knee injury sustained while playing for Northampton Saints last Saturday.

Gareth Davies starts at scrum-half as Warren Gatland rings the changes following a win over the Azzurri that leaves Wales and England as the only sides to have won both matches.

Wales head coach Gatland said: “We are really happy with the experience we have got in the side. We have been on the road for the first two weeks, we are looking forward to being back at home and to build on those first two wins and to build on our performance.

“We’ve had a great two-week lead up to this game, we’ve looked really sharp and the squad are incredibly motivated to kick on.

“We know how important this game is for the rest of the championship. It’s a massive challenge playing against an England team that is playing really well and with a lot of confidence and we’ve got to make it difficult for them on Saturday.”

Leigh Halfpenny trained with the team this week but will not have the chance to make his first appearance since sustaining a concussion against Australia in November.

#GuinnessSixNations Team News

Your Wales team to face @EnglandRugby on Saturday #WALvENG Dyma’r dreigiau fydd yn cystadlu yn erbyn y rhosyn coch penwythnos yma. #HWFN #ForTheJersey pic.twitter.com/jju4zP8dzM

— Welsh Rugby Union (@WelshRugbyUnion) February 21, 2019

Wales: Liam Williams, George North, Jonathan Davies, Hadleigh Parkes, Josh Adams, Gareth Anscombe, Gareth Davies; Rob Evans, Ken Owens, Tomas Francis, Cory Hill, Alun Wyn Jones (captain), Josh Navidi, Justin Tipuric, Ross Moriarty.

Replacements: Elliot Dee, Nicky Smith, Dillon Lewis, Adam Beard, Aaron Wainwright, Aled Davies, Dan Biggar, Owen Watkin.

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