Narraway the Surprise Pick in Line-up to Face Wales
Six Nations: Gloucester's Luke Narraway has been named in Brian Ashton's England XV to play Wales this Saturday
Gloucester's Luke Narraway is the most surprising inclusion in Brian Ashton's XV to play Wales this Saturday. Narraway, 24, was called up to the squad as cover for the injured Nick Easter and will be making his Test debut. His Gloucester team-mate Iain Balshaw is included at full-back, his first England appearance since last summer's tour of South Africa.
The team is otherwise largely as expected. James Haskell will join Narraway and Lewis Moody in the back row, while Steve Borthwick partners Simon Shaw at lock. Toby Flood and Mike Tindall line up outside Jonny Wilkinson and Andy Gomarsall, while David Strettle and Paul Sackey play in the wings. The front row is an unsurprising combination of Phil Vickery, Mark Regan and Andrew Sheridan, the same three who started the World Cup final.
Danny Cipriani and Lesley Vainikolo, two of Ashton's more left-field choices, both take places on the bench. With Richard Wigglesworth covering scrum-half it means that all of England's potential substitutes in the backs are uncapped. The most curious omission is Matthew Tait, who may have suffered for a poor performance for Newcastle against Leicester on Saturday.
England team to play Wales: I Balshaw; P Sackey, M Tindall, T Flood, D Strettle; J Wilkinson, A Gomarsall; A Sheridan, M Regan, P Vickery (capt), S Shaw, S Borthwick, J Haskell, L Moody, L Narraway. Replacements: L Mears, M Stevens, B Kay, T Rees, R Wigglesworth, D Cipriani, L Vainikolo.
The team is otherwise largely as expected. James Haskell will join Narraway and Lewis Moody in the back row, while Steve Borthwick partners Simon Shaw at lock. Toby Flood and Mike Tindall line up outside Jonny Wilkinson and Andy Gomarsall, while David Strettle and Paul Sackey play in the wings. The front row is an unsurprising combination of Phil Vickery, Mark Regan and Andrew Sheridan, the same three who started the World Cup final.
Danny Cipriani and Lesley Vainikolo, two of Ashton's more left-field choices, both take places on the bench. With Richard Wigglesworth covering scrum-half it means that all of England's potential substitutes in the backs are uncapped. The most curious omission is Matthew Tait, who may have suffered for a poor performance for Newcastle against Leicester on Saturday.
England team to play Wales: I Balshaw; P Sackey, M Tindall, T Flood, D Strettle; J Wilkinson, A Gomarsall; A Sheridan, M Regan, P Vickery (capt), S Shaw, S Borthwick, J Haskell, L Moody, L Narraway. Replacements: L Mears, M Stevens, B Kay, T Rees, R Wigglesworth, D Cipriani, L Vainikolo.
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