England v Wales team announcement LIVE: Inexperienced English side to face full-strength Welsh
Follow the latest from Jones' and Gatand's press conferences as they name their matchday squads for the first Rugby World Cup warm-up clash on Sunday
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Follow the latest updates live from the England and Wales squad announcements as Eddie Jones and Warren Gatland name their sides for the opening Rugby World Cup warm-up at Twickenham this weekend.
England are set to kick off their World Cup preparations at home on Sunday as they welcome fierce rivals Wales, before travelling back to Cardiff next weekend for a return fixture ahead of games against Ireland and Italy. Wales meanwhile will follow up their two games against England with a double-header against the Irish.
With his final World Cup squad announcement scheduled for Monday, Eddie Jones has one or two big calls to make, and it’s expected that the likes of scrum-half Willi Heinz and full-back Ruaridh McConnochie will feature in Sunday’s match, along with the international return of Anthony Watson 17 months after suffering a serious Achilles injury. Follow the live news below.
What time are the squads announced?
Both England and Wales squads will be announced at 11am.
Eddie Jones will face the media at 11:30am, while Warren Gatland will speak to the press at 1pm.
When is it?
England vs Wales takes place on Sunday 11 August at Twickenham Stadium.
What time does it start?
The match kicks off at 2pm BST.
Where can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports Action from 1pm BST.
You can follow all the action live from Twickenham with The Independent’s live blog from 1pm.
Welcome to The Independent's live coverage of today's England and Wales squad announcements, with the England and Wales teams set to be announced at 11am this morning.
We'll bring you plenty of build-up ahead of the team unveilings, which will really kick-off the build-up to the Rugby World Cup as Sunday's fixture marks the first of four warm-up matches before the teams head to Japan next month.
We're 30 minutes away from the teams being announced, so let's take a closer look at the players who have something major to play for.
England went into the summer with three places available in the 31-man squad - according to Eddie Jones - although Brad Shields has been injured in that time.
So with seven weeks behind us of training, how many of those slots have been filled? The likes of Ruaridh McConnochie, Lewis Ludlam and Willi Heinz are all expected to feature and could be battling for the final places in the squad, although the coaching staff have been keen to stress selection does not come down to this one game.
The England team is in, and it's fair to say there's a few surprising and intriguing calls. Here we go...
England team to face Wales: Elliot Daly; Ruaridh McConnochie, Henry Slade, Piers Francis, Anthony Watson; George Ford, Willi Heinz; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Dan Cole; Joe Launchbury, Charlie Ewels; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: Jack Singleton, Joe Marler, Harry Williams, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Ben Youngs, Joe Marchant, Joe Cokanasiga.
Well needless to say, that is a rather dautning prospect for England. Wales boss Warren Gatland has gone full strength in an effort to maintain their winning run, which currently stands at 14 matches.
Alun Wyn Jones leads the side that bar the injured Josh Navidi is pretty much the side that won the Grand Slam in this year's Six Nations.
Contrast that with England's line-up, which you would guess contains at most about six first-team starters, and it's very much an experimental side against an established side.
It's been confirmed that Eddie Jones will NOT be speaking today. Instead, the England head coach is sending his assistants to the press conference in the shape of Steve Borthwick, John Mitchell, Scott Wisemantel and Neil Hatley, alongside captain for the day George Ford.
It's fair to say this is all feeling a little bit ill-prepared for England, given what will await them on Sunday.
The England coaches and captain George Ford are here. Here we go...
On team selection:
Scott Wisemantel: Look it's a four-game process. We've got four games, so we can't play the same players four consecutive weeks. It's an opportunity.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments