England have sent some good, bad and not very beautiful teams to play Wales down the years, but in terms of pace and potential few to match the side unveiled by Clive Woodward yesterday.
There will be some understandable apprehension among those Welsh supporters with a half-decent knowledge of English club rugby, for Woodward has opted in almost every area for players in peak form, omitting such reliable performers as the Bath pair Matt Perry and Mike Tindall in an apparent effort not just to beat Wales but to dazzle them in the process.
Compared with the side which kicked off against South Africa at Twickenham last month, there are four changes of personnel, with Bath's Iain Balshaw and Leicester's Dorian West starting a Six Nations game for the first time and Mike Catt and Phil Vickery recalled at inside centre and tighthead prop respectively.
It is the exciting mix behind the scrum, though, which will send a shiver down Welsh backs, with Will Greenwood at outside centre alongside Catt and Balshaw, flanked by the seriously quick Dan Luger and Ben Cohen, providing yet more gas from full back.
Wales coach Graham Henry may argue the heavy defeats suffered by Cardiff and Swansea in the European Cup in England last weekend have no "relevance" ahead of Saturday's international, but the announcement of the two sides suggested a different story.
Wales were forced on to the back foot and their decision to choose the Llanelli outhalf Stephen Jones at full back was a clear defensive move.
Jones has been chosen because Henry has no one else to turn to. Rhys Williams, who played in Wales' previous four internationals, had his fragile confidence shattered at Gloucester last Saturday after failing to deal with a barrage of Garryowens while his predecessor, Matt Cardey, has been dropped by Llanelli.
With the ineligible Shane Howarth no longer an option for Henry, Jones's task will be to drop anchor at full back, though it is three years since he played in the position and the danger for Wales is that he could be exploited by England's pacy back division rather than by high balls.
Jones is one of six changes from the side beaten in stoppage time by South Africa in November. The centre Mark Taylor and the Wales captain David Young have been rushed back after injuries, Robin McBryde replaces Gavin Jenkins at hooker, Martyn Williams has been recalled at flanker to compete for the ball on the floor with Neil Back and Darren Morris switches to loose head in the front row to accommodate Young.
TEAM SELECTIONS
ENGLAND (v Wales): I Balshaw (Bath); B Cohen (Northampton), W Greenwood (Harlequins), M Catt (Bath), D Luger (Saracens); J Wilkinson (Newcastle), M Dawson (Northampton); J Leonard (Harlequins), D West (Leicester), P Vickery (Gloucester), M Johnson (Leicester, capt), D Grewcock (Saracens), R Hill (Saracens), N Back (Leicester), L Dallaglio (Wasps). Replacements: M Regan (Bath), J White (Saracens), T Woodman (Gloucester), M Corry (Leicester), A Healey (Leicester), M Tindall (Bath), M Perry (Bath).
WALES: S Jones (Llanelli); G Thomas (Cardiff), M Taylor (Swansea), S Gibbs (Swansea), D James (Llanelli); N Jenkins (Cardiff), R Howley (Cardiff); D Morris (Swansea), R McBryde (Llanelli), D Young (Cardiff, capt), I Gough (Newport), C Wyatt (Llanelli), C Charvis (Swansea), M Williams (Cardiff), S Quinnell (Llanelli). Replacements: G Jenkins (Swansea), S John (Cardiff), A Moore (Swansea), G Lewis (Swansea), R Moon (Llanelli), A Bateman (Northampton), M Jones (Llanelli).
