Twickenham far from a fortress - unless you are Welsh

LONDON : Much of the build up to England's game against Wales on Saturday has centred on the potential impact of Twickenham, with the hosts talking of regaining its "fortress" reputation but Wales coach Warren Gatland saying it is anything but intimidating.

As with most historical sporting statistics, a case could be made for either argument, depending on the starting point.

Wales, certainly, have had a thin time of things there for decades. In the last 36 years they have managed only two Six Nations victories - the last in 2012 - as well as a shock win in the 2015 World Cup.

Former captain Sam Warburton was man of the match in that 2012 win and told the BBC's Rugby Union Daily podcast: "Twickenham was an amazing stadium as the Welsh would travel down and it was a phenomenal atmosphere. Outside the Principality, it was my favourite place to play. Walking through the crowd is quite daunting if you're young."

Gatland was in charge for all three of those wins and, despite also suffering 12 international defeats there, took an upbeat view.

"I don't find it intimidating at all... it doesn't hold any trepidation," the New Zealander said this week. "I love the atmosphere and it's even more special if you can walk away with a win - that's not easy to do.

"For us its about starting well and stopping the crowd singing "Swing Low" too early, silence them a bit, that becomes an important factor. But we are not afraid to go to Twickenham I can promise you."

In more recent times England have had a torrid time at "HQ", winning only three of their last 10 games there.

The last of those matches last August was a hugely dispiriting occasion, as a paltry crowd of 57,000 booed the team off after they were beaten by Fiji, playing dull, restrictive