Six Nations 2022: England v Wales preview, team news & key stats

Manu Tuilagi was named in England's team but pulled out after training on Thursday

Old rivals England and Wales meet at Twickenham on Saturday with both sides seeking back-to-back Six Nations wins.

Elliot Daly starts at outside centre in place of the injured Manu Tuilagi, with Henry Slade moving to inside centre and Joe Marchant named on the bench.

Wales have been able to recall fit-again back-row forward Taulupe Faletau.

England beat Italy in their last match while 2021 champions Wales saw off Scotland to record their first wins of this year's championship.

Northampton Saints team-mates Courtney Lawes and Dan Biggar will lead the sides - making it the first time in the history of the fixture that both captains have come from the same club.

Lawes, who takes over the captaincy from Tom Curry after missing England's opening two games, will hope home advantage will give his side the advantage.

Wales have only won twice at Twickenham in Six Nations history - in the Grand Slam campaigns of 2008 and 2012.

• What now for England without injured talisman Tuilagi?

• 'People were nervous about his size - Randall's Welsh education

• Ten things about record-breaking scrum-half Ben Youngs

England v Wales team news

Harry Randall has been favoured by England head coach Eddie Jones to start at scrum-half instead of Ben Youngs.

Youngs will become England's most-capped men's player if he comes on, making his 115th appearance and overtaking World Cup-winning prop Jason Leonard's mark.

Hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie and prop Kyle Sinckler swap with Jamie George and Will Stuart, with Sinckler winning his 50th cap.

Marchant, who has returned to the squad following Tuilagi's training injury, is on the bench.

Wales make two changes to the starting team that beat Scotland in Cardiff.

Josh Adams returns from a tight calf issue to replace Louis Rees-Zammit on the left wing, while the influential Faletau starts at number eight after two games for Bath following seven months out with an ankle injury.

Six Nations Rugby Special is on BBC Two at 18:20 GMT on Sunday

Commentator's notes

Eddie Butler: "Glimpses of what might be against moments of unease. Both teams have swung between the two. It should make for a fully swaying encounter.

"Taulupe Faletau against Alex Dombrandt may be the pick of the head-to-heads but everywhere you look there is healthy individual friction: Tomos Williams v Harry Randall; Dan Biggar v Marcus Smith.

"Home advantage is important, not so much because England have it as Wales do not. To be up to temperature on the road is never easy.

"As for the style, England have been selected to bring pace to a passing game but there is a reality to these encounters and we should be prepared to spend large parts of a cold, swirly day looking to the sky.

"Who wins the kicking game will win full stop. England 25 Wales 24."

View from both camps

England head coach Eddie Jones: "We've got a talented, young, hungry squad who have trained with real intensity this week. We're ready to go at them and can't wait to play in front of our supporters again.

"It will also be a special match with two significant milestones for Ben Youngs and Kyle Sinckler, both of who have made outstanding contributions to English rugby so far in their careers.

"We congratulate them and we know there is more to come ahead for them."

Wales head coach Wayne Pivac on not selecting Louis Rees-Zammit: "Looking at the opposition and the way we think the game will be played, I think the experience of the other two wingers, work-rate off the ball and those sorts of things, are really going to come into play.

"It's a tough call on Louis but one that we think is the right call. He's no different to any other player. He's disappointed, obviously."

• Old rivals meet again - try our England v Wales quiz

Line-ups

England: 15-Steward; 14-Malins, 13-Daly, 12-Slade, 11-Nowell; 10-Smith, 9-Randall; 1-Genge, 2-Cowan-Dickie, 3-Sinckler, 4-Ewels, 5-Itoje, 6-Lawes (capt), 7-Curry, 8-Dombrandt.

Replacements: 16-George, 17-Marler, 18-Stuart, 19-Isiekwe, 20-Simmonds, 21-Youngs, 22-Ford, 23-Marchant.

Wales: 15-L. Williams; 14-Cuthbert, 13-Watkin, 12-Tompkins, 11-Adams; 10-Biggar (capt), 9-T. Williams; 1-W. Jones, 2-Elias, 3-Francis, 4-Rowlands, 5-Beard, 6-Moriarty, 7-Basham, 8-Faletau.

Replacements: 16-Lake, 17-G. Thomas, 18-Brown, 19-S. Davies, 20-Morgan, 21-Hardy, 22-Anscombe, 23-J. Davies.

Match facts

Head-to-head

• England have won their last four home games against Wales in the Six Nations

• Wales' last win at Twickenham was in 2012 when England failed to score a try

England

• England have lost two games at home in the Six Nations in the last 10 years, beaten by Ireland in 2018 and Scotland in 2021

• Kyle Sinckler is set to win his 50th cap, this will be his seventh game against Wales

Wales

• Wales have made the most tackles in the first two rounds (237) but have also missed the most tackles (47)

• Alex Cuthbert will win his 50th cap for Wales. He last scored a try in the Six Nations in 2014 against Italy

Match officials

Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)

Touch judges: Mathieu Raynal (France) & Frank Murphy (Ireland)

TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)