Wales recall fit-again Faletau for England showdown

Wales coach Wayne Pivac has recalled experienced back-row forward Taulupe Faletau to his squad for the crunch Six Nations clash with England at Twickenham on Saturday.

Faletau, sidelined for seven months with an ankle injury, played a full match for Bath against Leicester on Saturday to prove his fitness.

Faletau replaced Christ Tshiunza who has been ruled out of the rest of the Six Nations with a hamstring injury.

Pivac now has a welcome selection headache. Back rowers Taine Basham, Jac Morgan and Ross Moriarty were excellent in the 20-17 win over Scotland last time out, and Aaron Wainwright gave a strong performance off the bench.

Faletau, 31, has 91 test caps for Wales and the British & Irish Lions and his experience could be invaluable in the cauldron of Twickenham.

Champions Wales started their Six Nations defence with a dire 29-7 loss to Ireland in Dublin and must probably beat England to keep their title hopes alive.

(Reporting by Nick Said, editing by Ed Osmond)