Gatland to blood Blues’ Roberts in Scottish clash
Roberts has been preferred to Mark Jones, who has dropped out of the matchday 22, while Tom Shanklin replaces Sonny Parker at outside centre and Ian Evans starts in the second row after Alun-Wyn Jones was ruled out with an ankle injury.
Jonathan Thomas, who was doubtful after taking a heavy blow to the head in a tackle from Jonny Wilkinson, has been cleared to play and starts at blind-side flanker.
Shanklin’s inclusion was expected after he made an impressive impact off the bench as Wales came from 19-6 down to win at Twickenham for the first time in 20 years. But Gatland has made the surprising decision to drop Llanelli Scarlets loose-forward Alix Popham from the squad, while prop Gethin Jenkins remains among the replacements.
Gloucester back-row Gareth Delve takes Popham’s place on a bench which also features Cardiff lock Deniol Jones, who was called into the squad, and fit-again scrum-half Dwayne Peel.
Scotland lock Nathan Hines sat out training yesterday as nine players were added to the squad. Hines suffered a calf injury in Sunday’s 27-6 defeat by France. However, Scotland team doctor James Robson expects the Perpignan forward to resume training today.
Rory Lamont was yesterday ruled out of the Millennium Stadium encounter after picking up shoulder and ankle injuries after starting at full-back against the French. Nine players were added to the 22 other players on duty against Les Bleus as Frank Hadden‘s squad trained.
The newcomers were on duty with the Scotland A team during their 37-15 victory over their Italian counterparts on Sunday.
Glasgow Warriors trio Moray Low, Alastair Kellock and Graeme Morrison came in along with Edinburgh quartet Phil Godman, Ben Cairns, Calum MacRae and Craig Hamilton. Gloucester flanker Alasdair Strokosch and Ulster winger Simon Danielli were also added to the training squad.
Hadden is due to name his starting line-up this morning.
England flanker Tom Rees will miss the rest of the championship after his club Wasps confirmed he has suffered a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
And winger David Strettle looks unlikely to feature again in the tournament after Harlequins confirmed he has sustained a hairline fracture to a metatarsal in his left foot. Quins say Strettle will be out of action for between four and eight weeks.
England will also be without centre Mike Tindall (bruised liver) and flanker Lewis Moody (Achilles) out of Sunday’s game against Italy in Rome.
Italy assistant coach Carlo Orlandi is expecting England to raise their game when they travel to Rome after the Red Rose were humbled by Wales.
Orlandi fears the Azzurri will feel the full force of the World Cup finalists’ wrath on Sunday.
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