Jump to main content

Biggar braced for England battle

Biggar braced for England battle

Key playmaker Dan Biggar has kicked into touch any fears that Wales will go into tomorrow evening’s crunch World Cup clash against England with doubts racing through their minds.

Share this page:

England forwards coach Graham Rowntree suggested there would be doubts in the Wales camp about whether they could win at HQ but the Ospreys fly half had no hesitation in backing his team mates as they seek their second win of the campaign.

“We are a confident outfit. We have enormous respect for England, it’s going to be a tough Test match. We didn’t play well here two years ago and at the Millennium Stadium seven months ago (in the Six Nations) but we are going to rock up here a confident outfit and we are going to try to win,” he said.

England supremo Stuart Lancaster’s selection for the encounter raised a few eyebrows with the creative George Ford being jettisoned for the reliable Owen Farrell at fly half while former rugby league star Sam Burgess got the nod in midfield alongside Brad Barritt.

But Biggar remains confident Wales can take the changes in their stride.

“We have had a couple of days to prepare. Obviously JJ (Jonathan Joseph), his injury, has made them shuffle.

The two centres [Burgess and Barritt] are extremely talented and very physical. Owen Farrell will strengthen that up as well but whoever we came up against, we would prepare the same and concentrate on our 10, 12, 13 rather than their 10, 12, 13.

“There has not been a great deal of adjustment from my position. We are used to big ball players coming down the channel and we are fully aware they are probably going to come heavy down that channel.

“If we can stop that at source, that takes away a little bit of their strengths and we have been working on getting the ball away from them a bit and moving it around.

“We have a pretty good centre pair as well but nobody is talking about them. And we picked up a couple of things that we are going to try to work on.”

Most pundits are tipping the red rose brigade to claim the honours but Biggar – along with his teammates – are eager to make the critics eat their words.

“We are fully aware of what’s at stake but once you have kicked off, the pitch is the same and we have played against these players lots of times.

“We are trying to prove to everybody who has written us off that we have a good shout. We have looked at the games from the last few times going back probably to 2011, and what we want to replicate and what we want to get better at, but it’s on the night and the World Cup.”

Partners and Suppliers

Principal Partners
Principality
Official Broadcast Partners
BBC Cymru/Wales
S4C
Official Partners
Heineken
Isuzu
Guinness