Gatland has named Dan Lydiate and Taulupe Faletau alongside skipper Sam Warburton at the back of the Welsh pack, while opposite number Stuart Lancaster looks certain to opt for Tom Wood, Ben Morgan and captain Chris Robshaw for the Twickenham showdown.
Lydiate, Faletau, Warburton and replacement openside Justin Tipuric all toured Hong Kong and Australia with the Lions in the summer and Robshaw and Wood have been outstanding for England since the disappointment of missing out for Britain and Ireland’s elite.
And with former Scarlets powerhouse Morgan ready to fill the void left by injury to Billy Vunipola, the scene is set for an almighty arm wrestle in Round 4.
“You look at the match-ups and it is really exciting. You look at the front row battle with the two hookers; there’s a big battle in the second row as well; and I’m really looking forward to the loose forward battle. If you look at the balance of their back row it is very similar to ours so it should be a great contest there,” said Gatland.
“Chris Robshaw is playing well. He’s an incredibly committed player who never stops working. As a captain I think he’s improving as well and he appears to have a lot of confidence and a huge amount of respect from his players.
“I’ve been really impressed by him. He’s doing a good job. I think it’s going to be a great battle between him and Sam Warburton.
“The balance they’ve had with the way Robshaw’s been playing, letting Billy Vunipola play a little bit looser and carry, and with Tom Wood who is a real workhorse, they’ve got a really good balance. And I’d like to think we’ve got a good balance, as well.”
Gatland has been impressed by what he’s seen from England as a whole so far in the 6 Nations, with Lancaster’s men seeing off Scotland and Ireland, having come within a whisker of beating France in Paris.
Confidence appears to be high within the England camp after their triumphant comeback against the Irish but Wales have enjoyed a strong recent record against the Red Rose and Gatland says they will travel to Twickenham without any sense of trepidation.
“They look like a young team that is playing with a confidence and self-belief, and that’s what makes them dangerous,” added Gatland.
“They’re a good side. They are working hard to play a bit more expansive rugby and they will continue to develop. And the player of the tournament so far has been (full back) Mike Brown.
“They are all saying they have learnt some pretty harsh lessons from last year. All the talk is that the boys have turned into men and they have grown up and learned. Time will tell, won’t it? We’ll see on Sunday.
“Part of my job for this week is to build the players up to have the self-belief that we are good enough to go to Twickenham and win. It has definitely been a bridge too far for a number of Welsh players in the past but we’re not thinking like that.
“We’re playing with confidence. After a disappointing performance against Ireland I thought we played exceptionally well against France. If you look at the two sides, there is a massive amount more experience in our side compared to England’s. If we play well enough on the day then we are good enough to win.”
