Anscombe given nod by Gatland
GARETH ANSCOMBE has beaten Dan Biggar to the Wales fly-half jersey for the game against England.
Biggar limped out of Northampton’s victory over Sale last Saturday with a suspected medial ligament strain.
He is expected to be on the bench when coach Warren Gatland names his side today and he will rue his bad luck.
But all is not lost – the plan to start with Anscombe’s creativity and finish with Biggar’s game management bore fruit in the autumn victory over South Africa.
Anscombe began the comeback from a 16-0 half-time deficit in Paris on the opening night of these Six Nations before Biggar saw them home from 16-14 down going into the final quarter to a 23-19 victory.
It is Anscombe who will go head to head with Owen Farrell in the Cardiff cauldron
– and he could be joined by Leigh Halfpenny, who is available after recovering from a lengthy spell out with concussion.
Despite not playing since taking a blow against Australia in November, Gatland may call upon the Lions full-back to counter England’s kicking game that worked to such devastating effect in the victories over Ireland and France.
Jonny May took full advantage to score a hat-trick against the French at Twickenham.
May’s 12 tries in as many games will have George North on high
Hopefully I haven’t peaked
alert as the duo prepare for a mouth-watering battle out wide.
North is two years May’s junior but boasts his own remarkable record of 38 tries in 80 Tests, and he believes the best is yet to come.
“Hopefully I haven’t peaked – I think there is plenty more left to go,” said North. “There are bits I can work on in my game to take it to the next level.
“For me and a lot of the boys it is a big block now with the Six Nations leading into the World Cup.
“Certainly there is more to give from now until then. As the game develops I’ll need to change. Hopefully I can keep up with it.”
North’s pair of tries in the opening clash with France puts him three scores behind Shane Williams’ Welsh
Six Nations record tally of 22. But a major focus this weekend will be how to stop England’s speed demon May in his tracks.
North knows Wales will have to shut down the space if they are to cool May’s jets and put themselves in the Six Nations box seat.
“He has been playing very well. The way England play has certainly suited his game – very front-foot gain-line dominant, shifting the ball into space. Kicking is a huge thing for them,” added North.
“When you have gas like that you can exploit it, and it’s certainly working at the moment for them. It’s a big part of their game.”