Wales drop North and Biggar for England clash

Fly-half Dan Biggar and centre George North have been left out of the Wales team for Saturday's Guinness Six Nations clash against England in Cardiff.

The cap centurions are replaced by Ospreys’ Owen Williams and uncapped 20-year-old Cardiff centre Mason Grady, respectively.

Williams makes a first start in the Wales number 10 shirt after previous appearances at centre, with Grady being partnered in midfield by Joe Hawkins.

Biggar skippered Wales during last season’s Six Nations and the summer tour of South Africa, but he delivered a below-par performance during the record 35-7 defeat by Scotland 12 days ago.

Elsewhere, head coach Warren Gatland has handed full-back Leigh Halfpenny his 98th cap – but a first Wales start since he suffered a serious knee injury in July 2021 – with Liam Williams omitted, while wing Louis Rees-Zammit, prop Gareth Thomas, lock Alun Wyn Jones and flanker Justin Tipuric also feature among nine changes.

Wlliams and North both fail to make Gatland's matchday 23, with Biggar, Scarlets scrum-half Kieran Hardy and Saracens centre Nick Tompkins providing back-division cover.

At 6ft 5in and more than 17 stones, Grady offers a similar physical presence to North and he has landed his Test match chance after just 20 first-team appearances for Cardiff.

Gloucester wing Rees-Zammit features for the first time in this season’s Six Nations after recovering from an ankle injury, while Jones wins his 157th cap, replacing Exeter forward Dafydd Jenkins.

The players omitted after Murrayfield are Williams, North, Biggar, Jenkins, Rio Dyer, Wyn Jones, Dillon Lewis, Tommy Reffell and Jac Morgan.

Wales: Leigh Halfpenny; Josh Adams, Mason Grady, Joe Hawkins, Louis Rees-Zammit; Owen Williams, Tomos Williams; Gareth Thomas, Ken