Healey Praise Annoys Wales Coach

The Wales coach Steve Hansen told Austin Healey last night to bite his lip despite being showered with compliments by the new England full-back after Graham Henry's resignation last month.

Healey reacted to the departure of Henry, with whom he had the frostiest of relationships during last summer's Lions tour to Australia, by saying that Wales were a totally different proposition under Hansen, playing a more attractive brand of rugby and posing a genuine threat to England.

"Austin Healey has a lot to say about a lot of things," said Hansen, a close friend and a New Zealand compatriot of Henry's. "He is a great rugby player and he would be better off concentrating on that."

Yesterday Hansen was more concerned with talking up his team, which shows two changes from the side that defeated Italy, with the centre Gareth Thomas and the second row Chris Wyatt returning.

When asked about England's formidable record at Twickenham, where only two sides have won in the championship since Wales's 11-3 victory in 1988, he replied: "History is irrelevant. This Wales team has not played England before and far from being daunted by the prospect, we are looking forward to it."

Thomas will win his 57th cap and comes in for Tom Shanklin, who was injured against Italy.

Thomas was continually dropped and recalled by Henry, who tried to change the player's lifestyle, and his international career looked over last month when he was dumped from the A squad after failing to turn up to training.

None of the Wales side has tasted success at Twickenham. Only Thomas, Dafydd James, Rob Howley, Wyatt and Scott Quinnell survive from the last Wales team to defeat England - at Wembley in 1999.

Wales still have to finalise their substitutes because of injuries. The outside-half Stephen Jones has not played a full part in training this week because of a back spasm.

Wales: K Morgan</B> (Swansea); James (Bridgend), G Thomas (Bridgend), Marinos (Newport), C Morgan (Cardiff); S Jones (Llanelli), Howley (Cardiff); I Thomas (Ebbw Vale), McBryde (Llanelli), Anthony (Newport), Moore (Swansea), Wyatt (Llanelli), Budgett (Bridgend), M Williams (Cardiff), S Quinnell (Llanelli, capt). Replacements: B Williams (Neath), John (Cardiff), Gough (Newport) or Llewellyn (Neath), Charvis (Swansea), Peel (Llanelli), Harris (Cardiff), R Williams (Cardiff) or Shanklin (Saracens).