RBS Six Nations – Barkley In For Injured Grayson.

Bath fly-half Olly Barkley will start for
England in their RBS Six Nations match against Wales after Paul Grayson was ruled out through injury.

Grayson, who has worn the number 10 shirt in England’s first three
matches
in the tournament, incurred a calf strain in training on Tuesday.
He had not recovered sufficiently by the eve of the match for
coach Clive
Woodward to risk him in a match England cannot afford to lose.

The decision to start Barkley comes as something of a surprise as
he had
actually lost his place in the 22-man match squad earlier this week.
He was asked to stay at England’s training camp when doubts over
Grayson
first emerged but it had been expected that the more experienced Mike
Catt
would be brought into the starting line-up with Barkley on the bench.

After their defeat by Ireland earlier this month, England must
beat the
Welsh to retain a chance of winning the tournament. They travel to
Paris next
weekend for a showdown with unbeaten France in their final match.

Meanwhile, Wales national coach in waiting, Mike Ruddock, has sent his best
wishes to
the Welsh team as they prepare to for the Twickenham clash.

The Newport Gwent Dragons coach was named as the successor to Steve
Hansen
as national coach last week and will take up his appointment in May
ahead
of the uncapped match against the Barbarians and the summer tour to
Argentina and South Africa.

I’ve always supported Wales whenever and wherever they have played,
but I
will be watching Saturday’s game with extra interest. It is going to
be a
huge test of the Welsh team as a whole, players and coaches, but I’m
sure
they will rise to the challenge, said Ruddock.

England may be the World Champions, but that only adds to the
incentive
for the players as they bid to end a 16 year wait for a Welsh win at
Twickenham. If they go into the game with the same attitude they
adopted in
the World Cup quarter-final in Brisbane earlier in the season then
anything
could happen.

England:
Jason Robinson (Sale); Josh Lewsey (Wasps), Will Greenwood
(Harlequins),
Mike Tindall (Bath), Ben Cohen (Northampton); Olly Barkley (Bath),
Matt Dawson
(Northampton); Lawrence Dallaglio capt (Wasps), Richard Hill
(Saracens),
Chris Jones (Sale); Ben Kay (Leicester), Danny Grewcock (Bath); Phil
Vickery
(Gloucester), Steve Thompson (Northampton), Trevor Woodman
(Gloucester)
Replacements: Mark Regan (Leeds), Julian White (Leicester), Steve
Borthwick
(Bath), Joe Worsley (Wasps), Andy Gomarsall (Gloucester), Mike Catt
(Bath),
James Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester).

Referee: Andrew Cole (Aus).
Wales:
Gareth Thomas (Celtic Warriors); Rhys Williams (Cardiff), Mark
Taylor
(Llanelli), Iestyn Harris (Cardiff), Shane Williams (Neath-Swansea);
Stephen
Jones (Llanelli), Gareth Cooper (Celtic Warriors); Dafydd Jones
(Llanelli),
Colin Charvis capt (Tarbes), Jonathan Thomas (Neath-Swansea);
Michael
Owen (Dragons), Brent Cockbain (Celtic Warriors); Gethin Jenkins
(Celtic
Warriors), Robin McBryde (Llanelli), Duncan Jones (Neath-Swansea).
Replacements: Mefin Davies (Celtic Warriors), Ben Evans (Cardiff),
Gareth
Llewellyn (Neath-Swansea), Martyn Williams (Cardiff), Dwayne Peel
(Llanelli),
Ceri Sweeney (Celtic Warriors), Tom Shanklin (Cardiff).

AFP – 2004.