Hook was close to fly-half role

WALES’ coaching staff held a “long debate” about handing James Hook the fly-half playmaker’s role for their RBS 6 Nations showdown against England at the Millennium Stadium tomorrow night.

Versatile Hook starts at full-back but could easily have ousted 95 times-capped Stephen Jones instead.

Backs coach Rob Howley admitted Hook had made a strong case following his fly-half cameos for the Ospreys during their Magners League games over Christmas.

Howley said: “We spoke about James going into 10. It was a long debate. We’ve gone for Test-experienced half-backs, two Lions (Jones and Mike Phillips). Steve hasn’t done anything wrong. James showed that when he played for the Ospreys over the Christmas period, when he went in at first receiver, he offered a running and creative threat.”

Jones has been part of Wales’ fixtures and fittings since making his Test debut in 1998, and remains a tactical controller of the highest class. But such is Hook’s game-breaking prowess that Wales feel they must find room for him somewhere, whether at full-back, fly-half or in the centre, where head coach Warren Gatland has gone for a midfield partnership of Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies.

Hook’s selection in the number 15 shirt means new Clermont Auvergne signing Lee Byrne occupying an unfamiliar bench role, where his fellow substitutes will include former captain Ryan Jones and 2005 Lions Test scrum-half Dwayne Peel.

Elsewhere, Scarlets’ Morgan Stoddart fills the right-wing vacancy created when Leigh Halfpenny suffered an ankle injury earlier this week, while Ospreys props Paul James and Craig Mitchell take over from injured Lions Gethin Jenkins and Adam Jones.

Gatland resisted any temptation to switch James across the scrum from loosehead, while 24-year-old Mitchell wins his fifth cap, but makes a first Test start.

There are seven changes from Wales’ autumn Test series finale against New Zealand in November, plus a positional switch as Hook moves from centre to full-back.

Roberts, meanwhile, returns after missing the entire autumn series through injury, and Wales’ record try-scorer Shane Williams has recovered from a dislocated shoulder to win his 76th cap.

Assessing the front-row selection, Gatland said: “We were really impressed with the way the Ospreys scrummaged against Toulon (last month). We see Paul James as a genuine loosehead and we wanted to leave him in that position.”

Wales will go into the England clash having lost six and drawn one of their last seven Tests. They have not won since the final weekend of last season’s Six Nations tournament.

Meanwhile, Northampton flanker Tom Wood will make his England debut. Wood was not included in Martin Johnson’s original 33-man squad but he has been promoted from the Saxons straight into the starting XV after injuries forced England to reshuffle their pack.

Lewis Moody and Tom Croft are both missing from the back row while Northampton lock Courtney Lawes is in danger of being sidelined for the whole championship with a knee injury.

With Moody out, Mike Tindall has been appointed England captain for the first time.

Wood, 24, will pack down at blindside flanker and offer England a back-row lineout option in Croft’s absence, while James Haskell will start in the less familiar role on the openside. Leicester lock Louis Deacon returns in the second row to partner Tom Palmer in place of Lawes.

Wood will don the six jersey. Haskell is traditionally a blindside but his breakdown and turnover work has been one of the big improvements in his game since moving to Stade Francais.