Healey bids to secure place

Austin Healey's long battle for fitness has won him a place on the England bench for Saturday's World Cup warm-up clash with Wales in Cardiff.

Healey is being considered as a scrum-half in the current squad but his experience in every position behind the scrum makes him a potential member of the 30-strong final World Cup squad that will be named on 8 September by Clive Woodward, the head coach.

Also included among the replacements are Wasps prop Will Green, who enjoyed a successful campaign with the Zurich Premiership champions last season, and Dave Walder, the Newcastle outside-half.

Walder is back-up to Jonny Wilkinson at his club and Walder, ruled out for much of last season by injury, has always impressed Woodward at representative level.

If Walder came on to the pitch on Saturday it would as replacement for Wasps' Alex King - and that would have serious implications for King's Cup chances.

Wales include eight of the team that suffered a 26-9 Six Nations defeat by England in February - Gareth Thomas, Rhys Williams, Mark Taylor, Gareth Cooper, Iestyn Thomas, Robert Sidoli, Martyn Williams and Dafydd Jones. But only Thomas remains of the team beaten by Ireland in Dublin last weekend.

Hooker Robin McBryde said: "Everyone wants to get a place on the plane to Australia and any side that England put out will be strong. It should be a good challenge for us and it should not take long for us to knit together as a group.

"The onus recently has been on physical work rather than playing but that won't hamper us on Saturday."

England replacements: Dorian West (Leiceser), Austin Healey (Leicester), Ollie Smith (Leicester), Will Green (Wasps), Steve Borthwick (Bath), Alex Sanderson (Sale Sharks), Dave Walder (Newcastle Falcons).

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