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Matthew Southcombe

The likely Wales team to face England as Faletau, Adams and Halaholo among stars back in Pivac's selection mix

Wales have got their Six Nations campaign back on track - and attention will now turn to the big one against England in two weeks' time.

There is a new found optimism within the Welsh camp after victory over Scotland.

Wayne Pivac's selection hand for Twickenham is also set to be bolstered further by the return of a number of injured stars.

So who is in the driving seat to play in that February 26 showdown with the old enemy?

We take a look at the various options Pivac will be weighing up over the coming days and the team he is likely to field against Eddie Jones' side.

Back three

15. Liam Williams, 14. Louis Rees-Zammit, 11. Josh Adams

A department of the team that largely picks itself. Williams had one of his best Wales matches for some time during the win over Scotland.

He varied his game well, counter-attacked when it was on and kicked when he needed to. Was also typically solid under the high ball and good defensively. Will keep his spot.

Rees-Zammit has looked a little off-colour in this tournament so far, hampered by an ankle problem during the defeat to Ireland and struggled to get into the game against Scotland.

Switching wings was, perhaps, a little unsettling with Alex Cuthbert far more involved in proceedings on the other side. Perhaps teams are watching him more intently after his stunning breakout year.

But Rees-Zammit remains a huge weapon and will take chances that come his way. Pivac will retain belief in the youngster.

Adams will be simmering after the flak that came his way following the Dublin debacle, when he played out of position in the centre, and must be reinstated on the wing at the earliest opportunity. He is one of the best in the world in that position and England will be wary of him.

Like Rees-Zammit, he is prolific and will be raring to go at Twickenham.

It's harsh on Cuthbert, who was superb against Scotland, but you can't leave out wingers with the tryscoring ability of Rees-Zammit and Adams.

Centres

13. Owen Watkin, 12. Jonathan Davies

Easily the most difficult part of the side to select at the moment and, really, there is a good case to be made for all four options.

I'd like to see Pivac stick with Owen Watkin in the 13 channel. He did brilliantly against Scotland, making good yards against a stubborn visiting defence, he also tackled brilliantly. There was one sliced kick to blot his copy book but it was a good performance.

Jonathan Davies oozed calmness when he entered the chaotic fray in the tightest of Tests against Gregor Townsend's side. He defended intelligently and went through the motions, looking completely unflustered.

When he was on the field, Scotland never threatened.

His experience and steadiness may be exactly what is required against a backline that will be orchestrated by a magician like Marcus Smith.

It is extremely harsh on Nick Tompkins, who was excellent against Scotland. It was not show-stopping stuff from the Saracen but he epitomised the gritty nature of Wales' performance and showed good physicality. There would be few qualms if Pivac went with him.

And then there's Willis Halaholo. He is the most creative option and Wales have been lacking in that department. But he's been battling a hamstring injury and the lack of game time is a problem.

If he is to be in contention, Halaholo must start for Cardiff against Zebre this Friday. Otherwise, he will not have played for six weeks and is not really an option. If he does feature for his region, and plays well against the Italians, then he comes into real contention for Wales, too.

But Davies and Watkin starting, with Halaholo coming off the bench, could be the likely option.

Half-backs

10. Dan Biggar, 9. Tomos Williams

Not a lot to debate here, in honesty. Captain Biggar was a shining light in Wales' win over Scotland and hauled his side through the match.

There's no way Pivac will consider picking anyone else.

The head coach seems to have an almost equal amount of belief in Williams these days, too. The scrum-half played the full 80 minutes on Saturday, underlining Pivac's confidence in his ability.

Williams seems to have nailed down that jersey, which had been up for grabs for the majority of Pivac's reign to date.

A settled half-back pairing will be a good thing for Wales.

Front row

1. Wyn Jones, 2. Ryan Elias, 3. Tomas Francis

Again, little debate to be had here.

Possibly the props have been a little unlucky in the Championship thus far? It has been noticeable, to me at least, that referees seem a little keener to get the ball out of scrums rather than award penalties there.

Francis, in particular, has probably not had what he has deserved out of officials for his work at the scrum but it has been a real positive to see it stand so firm.

Man of the match Elias deserves huge credit for his performance against Scotland. The lineout was perfect and he went about his usual work in the loose.

He carried effectively and worked his socks off. His emergence, in the absence of Ken Owens, has been great news for Pivac.

Second row

4. Will Rowlands, 5. Adam Beard

Don't anticipate any changes here either. Rowlands was superb against Scotland after facing some major questions following the ineffective nature of his showing against Ireland.

He put dents in the Scottish defensive line and moved Wales onto the front foot regularly. Will be expected to start at Twickenham, where his bulk will be required against Maro Itoje and Co.

Beard is an important part of this Wales side, particularly without Alun Wyn Jones in the set-up. He was name-checked once again by Pivac after the match on Saturday and is a real leader.

He calls the lineout and will not be dropped for the trip to Twickenham as Wales face up to a juggernaut England pack.

Back row

6. Taine Basham, 7. Jac Morgan, 8. Ross Moriarty

There will be a real temptation from Pivac to tinker with the back row, but ultimately he again might just leave alone.

Taulupe Faletau is bound to come into the coach's thinking, though.

The Wales and Lions veteran got through his first game of rugby since July on Saturday. As Wales were beating Scotland, Faletau was back in action for Bath away to Wasps.

He was said to 'look sharp on his much-awaited return' and earned an eight out of 10 mark for his performance, scoring a try and said to have racked up a 'wonderful defensive effort.'

But is it enough to earn him an instant Wales recall, even for a big game player like Faletau?

There is also hope that Josh Navidi is working his way back to fitness, but there's no way he can realistically feature at Twickenham.

Personally I think Pivac would see the benefit of letting the same trio who played against Scotland start again.

Ross Moriarty was good, bringing the abrasive edge that was lacking against Ireland.

Ross Moriarty of Wales takes on Rory Sutherland of Scotland (Huw Evans Picture Agency)

He will also now be approaching full Test match readiness, having featured in three matches since injury.

Taine Basham's influence over the game was slightly diminished compared to Dublin, having switched to the blindside, but it was not some drastic, alarming drop in form that would justify leaving him out.

Jac Morgan was outstanding on debut, heavily involved with and without the ball. There was plenty in his performance to warrant another run in the shirt.

Whilst the Six Nations, of course, is all about winning - and particularly when it comes to Wales v England - it would also be great for the development of Basham and Morgan to experience an occasion like Twickenham.

With the World Cup in mind, throwing those two into the fray for a clash of this magnitude in England's own backyard would clearly provide invaluable big match experience.

Pivac may be tempted to bring Faletau straight back in at No.8 and move Moriarty to blindside flanker. That would probably result in Basham moving over to openside and Morgan missing out.

But as things stand, the youngster is in possession of the jersey.

Likely Wales team to face England: Liam Williams; Louis Rees-Zammit, Owen Watkin, Jonathan Davies, Josh Adams; Dan Biggar, Tomos Williams; Wyn Jones, Ryan Elias, Tomas Francis; Will Rowlands, Adam Beard; Taine Basham, Jac Morgan, Ross Moriarty.

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