Investec Challenge: 04 August 07, Twickenham Stadium
ENGLAND v WALES
Match Preview

Who would have thought that with just a month or so to go before the start of the 2007 World Cup, neither England head coach Brian Ashton nor England supporters up and down the country would have any idea of what the nation’s best XV is. Obviously people have their ideas with message boards filling up with endless “My Best XV” posts (oh wait, I started that one didn’t I), but even the fans can’t seem to agree on very much. Corry in the second row, or out of the team altogether? Tait too lightweight to take on the Springboks? Regan or Chuter? Is the new kit ugly or lovely? The possibilities are endless. England winger Mark Cueto has urged his head coach to decide his best team and play them in all three warm up games, against Wales and France twice. Ashton, rightly in my opinion, disagrees and feels that experimentation in a few places, notably in the centres is needed before there is any talk of best XV. As such England will play their first two tests mixing and matching, before facing France in Marseille on the 18th of August with their (hopefully) best and first choice XV on the pitch.

The tight-five has been picked with brute strength and just a touch of experience in mind. Sheridan, Regan and Vickery form a sizeable front row and with the versatile Matt Stevens on the bench able to act as ‘super sub’, England should hope to have dominance in the front row. England veteran and Heineken Cup winner Simon Shaw and European Challenge Cup finalist Steve Borthwick form a new-look second row.

"He's a big presence at the front of the line-out," head coach Brian Ashton noted when explaining Shaw's selection for Saturday's tussle with Wales.

"Providing he does the job in the warm-up games, against the likes of South Africa (in their crucial World Cup pool clash) people like Bakkies Botha will turn around and look at a guy just as big as he is, if not bigger."

A powerful display at Twickenham, then, should be enough to book Shaw's spot on the plane to France.

With nailed on certainty for the number 7 shirt Tom Rees still recovering from a knee injury, the England back row has had a complete reshuffling and has ended up puzzling most supporters. Joe Worsley will line up at openside perhaps in an effort to judge whether he can fill the role if need be (as Moody has been known to in the past). Nick Easter starts at 8, and Corry once again plays in the back row, this time at blindside. One can’t help but feel this is a stopgap measure and a way of testing both ‘new’ locks. With Ashton likely to take 5 back-rowers on the plane to the World Cup and Corry no doubt being considered as a lock, Rees, Worsley and Dallaglio are practically guaranteed a spot on the plane, with Easter, Ward Smith, Moody and Haskell vying for the remaining two places. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple of them lining up against France next week. Moody and Dallaglio will no doubt come on against Wales from the bench as impact subs should the need arise.

A slimmer Shaun Perry is given a proper go at scrum half, and after his disappointing end of season form he’ll be hoping to take his opportunity and impress Brian Ashton who is no doubt keen to find out who his first choice number 9. Wilkinson at 10 practically writes itself although some have called for Charlie Hodgson’s inclusion to see where his form is after such a long time away from the game. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Charlie start at 10 next weekm if not on the bench at least.

If you’d asked a hundred England supporters who Brian Ashton would pick as his centres for the game against Wales, I have little doubt that very few, if not none would have predicted a Farrell/Hipkiss partnership. Last chance saloon for the former Rugby League international one suspects, particularly if Ashton considers Catt his first choice inside centre. A good showing from Farrell, who is said to be in the best shape for years, will no doubt book his plane ticket.

"I would think it was 2004 when I was last fully fit," said Farrell. "I have had six weeks of really intense training, three or four sessions a day. Six months ago, I wouldn't have been able to have done that."

Competition for the centre spots in Ashton's 30-man squad is intense. Mike Catt and Mathew Tait are widely tipped to be on the plane, while Dan Hipkiss, Jamie Noon, Toby Flood, Mike Tindall and Olly Barkley are all in contention along with Farrell for the probable two remaining slots.

Dan Hipkiss deserves his chance," said Ashton. "He played really well in the second half of the Premiership this season and in the Heineken Cup as well and certainly would have gone to South Africa had he not been involved in the later stages of the play-offs and the Heineken final."

Hipkiss was part of the Leicester team which won the EDF Energy Cup and Guinness Premiership title and lost the Heineken Cup final and he thinks that big-match experience will help him keep his nerves under control on Saturday.

"I've played in three finals this year at Twickenham," he said. "I've got a lot of homework to do on the Welsh before leading up to Saturday, so I don't want to play the game too soon in the week."

Robinson and Strettle line up on the wings. Robinson’s try count during the Six Nations (four in three games) cannot be ignored, and Strettle should be one of the first names on Ashton’s team sheet. Cueto lining up at fullback is not unexpected, with the Sale Sharks player lining up there for his club on a few occasions before, as he did for England once in this year’s Six Nations. With one of Danny Ciprianni and Nick Abendanon likely to occupy the final spot in the World Cup squad, expect one of them to be given a chance to impress next week. If not both.

Gareth Jenkins’ squad has seemingly angered many Welsh supporters across the country, as if it was possible for him to get any more unpopular with the locals. Luckily for England, a few Welsh stars are missing. Martyn Williams, James Hook, Dwayne Peel and Shane Williams will not be in the starting XV either through injury or non-selection.

Iestyn Thomas, Huw Bennett and Chris Horsman make up the front row, with newcomer and Gloucester lock Will James coming into the second row with Robert Sidoli. Alun Wyn Jones has been rewarded with his good performances in the Six Nations in the second row by being put in the back row with on-form Coling Charvis and off-form Michael Owen; with Cooper and Sweeney forming an interesting half back partnership to say the least.

If the pack may not give England a realistic test, the centres in Tom Shanklin and captain Gareth Thomas will surely make life difficult for Farrell and Hipkiss. Thomas will be the first Welsh player to reach 50 career Test wins if his side beat England on Saturday. On-form Aled Brew lines up with Daffyd James on the wings, with Lee Byrne at full back.

“It's important that we have a final look at certain players and combinations and this selection accommodates that," said Jenkins. "Inside centre is one of the areas we are not absolutely clear about in terms of how our combinations are going to work. We are very comfortable with Gareth [Thomas] in that position and this is an excellent opportunity to give him another run there.”

For England, this game will be a final opportunity for certain members of the team to impress Brian Ashton and book their place on the plane to France. But the win must come first to build a bit of confidence. Then we can all comment on how horrible (or not) England’s new kit is.

England: Cueto; Strettle, Hipkiss, Farrell, Robinson; Wilkinson, Perry; Sheridan, Regan, Vickery (capt), Shaw, Borthwick, Corry, Worsley, Easter.
Replacements: Chuter, Stevens, Moody, Dallaglio, Richards, Flood, Tait.

Wales: Byrne; A Brew, Shanklin, G Thomas (capt), D James; Sweeney, Cooper; I Thomas, Bennett, Horsman, W James, Sidoli, A W Jones, Charvis, Owen.
Replacements: Jenkins, R Thomas, T R Thomas, Popham, Phillips, Hook, T James.