Wales demand ‘no-fear’ approach to Twickenham Six Nations clash

Scotland, Wales and England all face a critical Saturday in Round 2 of the Six Nations

Wales attack coach Alex King believes they need to have a “no fear” approach when they face England at Twickenham on Saturday.

Wales last toppled their fierce rivals in a championship game on English soil 12 years ago, en route to a Grand Slam in 2012.

Wales will head to south-west London after coming unstuck in a Cardiff classic against Scotland, although 26 unanswered points from being 27-0 adrift meant they almost completed the biggest comeback the Six Nations has seen.

England, meanwhile, were pushed hard by Italy in Rome before recording a 27-24 win after trailing at half-time and being outscored on tries.

“I think we need to show a no-fear game going down there, and put the pressure back on them,” King, who picked up five England caps as a player between 1997 and 2003.

A hugely inexperienced Wales side, averaging 25, were abysmal in the first half against Scotland, but fought back admirably in the second

“We’ve just got to take the game to England. We can’t wait for them to see what they do, especially with 70,000 people shouting for them.

“We have got to present ourselves as we want to play, and not wait to see what England can do before we start responding.

“It is important to show the lads that England are a good team, but they are not unbeatable. That is the reality.

“They have obviously got good players and they are well-coached, but Twickenham is just another stadium. I am looking forward to going back there. I’ve got my Welsh hat firmly on there.

“Like every team, they have got their weaknesses. It is up to us to exploit them on Saturday.”

Wales attack coach Alex King

While much of the talk in the aftermath of Wales’ Round 1 defeat surrounded their remarkable second-half display, King was under no illusions as to how poor they were in the first half against Scotland.

“Twickenham this weekend is a place where we need to start well. We have been very honest in our review, and are moving forward,” King said.

“The pleasing thing is we came out and responded [against Scotland] and were magnificent. It’s a shame we couldn’t nail the victory with the momentum of the last 10 minutes.

“The boys showed huge character, and it was frustrating not to win in the end. But if we are honest, we can’t have a half like that at Twickenham.”

Head coach Warren Gatland later commented he didn’t find Twickenham intimidating: “The first four times I went there, we won – three Premiership finals and a Heineken Cup final. I don’t find it intimidating at all!”

Wales head coach Warren Gatland says he doesn’t find Twickenham ‘intimidating at all’

“It is great when you come in through the gates and everyone is outside and you’ve got the fans there. It is a great stadium to enter.

“I love the atmosphere, and it is even more special if you can walk away with a win. That is not easy to do.

“It is a stadium that I have loved going to. For me, it doesn’t hold any trepidation.”

Feyi-Waboso ‘unfazed’ by facing country of his birth

England, meanwhile, insist Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is ready to face Wales after Steve Borthwick selected an unchanged team for Saturday.

Feyi-Waboso made his Test debut as a late replacement in the victory over Italy and he continues on the bench.

The 21-year-old wing sensation has pledged allegiance to England despite being born and raised in Cardiff, prompting Wales boss Gatland to remark that his decision had not gone down well across the border.

Cardiff-born-and-raised Immanuel Feyi-Waboso will face his home country on Saturday

Borthwick had no hesitation giving Feyi-Waboso, who has been in electric form for Exeter this season, the opportunity to win his second cap.

“Not from my point of view. He came on and did really well against Italy. He has been an incredibly calm, composed and mature character,” Borthwick said.

“He’s trained very well and in the little time I’ve known him he doesn’t seem to get fazed. I only have good things to say about him.”

England head coach Steve Borthwick and skipper Jamie George have said Feyi-Waboso is ‘unfazed’ by the task

Jamie George, who leads England out at Twickenham for the first time, also believes the rookie will rise to the occasion if he steps off the bench.

“Manny is a very confident guy. He understands our defensive system because it’s pretty similar to the one at Exeter, which is beneficial. He isn’t fazed by anything,” George said.

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Gilchrist: Surviving Wales fightback will serve Scotland well

Lock Grant Gilchrist believes Scotland’s bittersweet Six Nations victory over Wales has left them in the perfect frame of mind for their second championship match at home to France on Saturday.

Satisfaction of beating the Welsh on their own patch was tinged with a sense of deflation in the Scottish camp afterwards as they completely lost their way in the second half, missed out on the chance of a bonus point, and almost succumbed to what would have been the biggest comeback in Six Nations history.

Scotland were so impressive for 50 minutes at the Principality Stadium, rushing out to a 27-0 lead

Lock Gilchrist was suspended for the Cardiff clash and admitted he was “panicking” while watching it unfold on television.

“Winning at this level is tough,” he said. “And I don’t think that it’s a bad thing that we’re ambitious enough to want to put a complete performance out there.

“When you sit back and think that we’ve won in Cardiff for the first time in 22 years – that’s a big achievement. But we’re also not going to sit there and celebrate that as the perfect performance as we know we can be so much better.

Finn Russell and Scotland collapsed in the second half and were fortunate to hold on and win

“We showed that for 50 minutes with how in control we were. When you win a Test match you should always feel a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment because the amount of work that goes into that is huge and should never be underestimated.

“To win in the first game of the Six Nations is massive as you need to keep trying to build momentum throughout the tournament and winning ensures you can still do that.

“But having that little slant of disappointment is also no bad thing. It brought us in on Monday eager to learn how to get better in the second half and put a full performance together rather than coming in talking about staying grounded or any of these things.

Grant Gilchrist has returned to start for Scotland against France in Edinburgh

“I feel it’s not a bad place to be, to feel a little bit disappointed despite winning in Cardiff for the first time in 22 years.”

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