England are set to kick off their World Cup preparations at home on Sunday as they welcome fierce rivals Wales, before travelling back to Cardiff next weekend for a return fixture ahead of games against Ireland and Italy. Wales meanwhile will follow up their two games against England with a double-header against the Irish.
With his final World Cup squad announcement scheduled for Monday, Eddie Jones has one or two big calls to make, and it’s expected that the likes of scrum-half Willi Heinz and full-back Ruaridh McConnochie will feature in Sunday’s match, along with the international return of Anthony Watson 17 months after suffering a serious Achilles injury. Follow the live news below.
Welcome to The Independent's live coverage of today's England and Wales squad announcements, with the England and Wales teams set to be announced at 11am this morning.
We'll bring you plenty of build-up ahead of the team unveilings, which will really kick-off the build-up to the Rugby World Cup as Sunday's fixture marks the first of four warm-up matches before the teams head to Japan next month.
We're 30 minutes away from the teams being announced, so let's take a closer look at the players who have something major to play for.
England went into the summer with three places available in the 31-man squad - according to Eddie Jones - although Brad Shields has been injured in that time.
So with seven weeks behind us of training, how many of those slots have been filled? The likes of Ruaridh McConnochie, Lewis Ludlam and Willi Heinz are all expected to feature and could be battling for the final places in the squad, although the coaching staff have been keen to stress selection does not come down to this one game.
England team to face Wales: Elliot Daly; Ruaridh McConnochie, Henry Slade, Piers Francis, Anthony Watson; George Ford, Willi Heinz; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Dan Cole; Joe Launchbury, Charlie Ewels; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: Jack Singleton, Joe Marler, Harry Williams, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Ben Youngs, Joe Marchant, Joe Cokanasiga.
Well needless to say, that is a rather dautning prospect for England. Wales boss Warren Gatland has gone full strength in an effort to maintain their winning run, which currently stands at 14 matches.
Alun Wyn Jones leads the side that bar the injured Josh Navidi is pretty much the side that won the Grand Slam in this year's Six Nations.
Contrast that with England's line-up, which you would guess contains at most about six first-team starters, and it's very much an experimental side against an established side.
It's been confirmed that Eddie Jones will NOT be speaking today. Instead, the England head coach is sending his assistants to the press conference in the shape of Steve Borthwick, John Mitchell, Scott Wisemantel and Neil Hatley, alongside captain for the day George Ford.
It's fair to say this is all feeling a little bit ill-prepared for England, given what will await them on Sunday.
Steve Borthwick: It's always about that process. Every time I've come into the camp, it;s about the process, and the players know that. It's all about the process.
SW: Willi's earned that opportunity, He was good for Gloucester and obviously Dan's had that setback, so someone's got to go in there. You;ve got to have a pool of half-backs, and he's in that pool so let's see what he can do.
SW: He's been outstanding. What do you think George?
George Ford: He's been really good. He's come in and performed. I've never had a teammate come in and ask so many questions which is great because he wants to learn.
SB: It's very exciting. You look at players who have come through the camp and impressed and one of those is Lewis Ludlam. We've got versatility there as well.
GF: He;s been brilliant since he came in. He's played really well for Gloucester and he's lead Gloucester too, but he's lead the energy on the training field too. The way he speaks on the field too is a massive advantage for someone outside him so I'm looking forward to playing with him.
SB: I think what we've got is a great crop of second rows because there's so many really good players in that positions. Charlie and Joe should really compliment each other and I'm looking forward to seeing how they go at the weekend.
Neil Hatley: It's almost like he hasn't been away. Hes been good, he brings bite and that physicality that we were looking for. He's been good working with the other props, working with the tightheads to let them know what works and what doesn't.
GF: Yeah it was great. We were just lauyghing for half an hour I think! He gave an insight into his career, at Manchester United and the players he experienced. It was great to have him talk to the lads and get to ask him a few questions.
