'They're not unbeatable' - Wales coach fires firm warning to England ahead of Six Nations clash

'They're not unbeatable' - Wales coach fires firm warning to England ahead of Six Nations clash

WATCH NOW: Sports round-up as Wales prepare to play England in the Six Nations

Lewis Winter

By Lewis Winter


Published: 06/02/2024

- 19:18

Wales will visit Twickenham to play England in Saturday's Six Nations action

Wales attack coach Alex King has told his players to show a no-fear approach against England in Saturday's Six Nations clash.

King admits his team must start better than they did in last weekend's dramatic opener against Scotland.


Wales almost pulled off a remarkable comeback at the Principality Stadium after Scotland had raced into a 27-0 lead at half-time.

Warren Gatland's side scored 26 unanswered points in the second half but the visitors just held on for the win.

Alex King and Steve Borthwick

Alex King has called on Wales to put in a better display against England

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England survived a scare against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico, just edging out their opponents 27-24 in another close encounter.

King knows Wales cannot afford to play at Twickenham like they did in the first half in Cardiff on Saturday.

But he believes the pressure is on England and has called on his players to take the game to Steve Borthwick's team, insisting they are beatable.

King said: "We’re not going to shy away from the fact the first half (against Scotland) wasn’t good enough but we want to build on that second-half performance.

"If we’re honest, we can’t have a half like that at Twickenham. It’s a place we need to start well at.

"They (England) have got a decent team – finishing third at the World Cup is testament to that. We need to show a no-fear game going down there and put the pressure back on them.

"We’ve got to take the game to England. We can’t wait to see what they do, especially with 70,000 people shouting for them.

"It’s important to show the lads England are a good team but they’re not unbeatable. That’s the reality.

"They’ve obviously got good players and they’re well-coached, but Twickenham is just another stadium. We’re looking forward to it."

King also provided a positive update on Sam Costelow, who could be in contention to play.

He said: "The good news is it wasn’t a concussion. He (Costelow) is being assessed for a neuro issue with his neck.

"He’s up for selection, but it’s a question of whether he gets through his medical protocols."

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Wales v Scotland

Wales almost pulled off a miracle comeback against Scotland

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England assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth has also given updates on the fitness of Ellis Genge and Marcus Smith.

Genge could play but Smith is still set for a few more weeks on the sidelines.

Wigglesworth said: "Ellis took some part

in training today and we are hopeful that he is available for the weekend. But we obviously got to get through the rest of this week.

"It looks like it’d be further back-end of the tournament, if we get [Smith] back. It won’t be in the next couple of weeks.

Italy vs England

England edged past Italy in their Six Nations opener

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"Marcus has an incredible attitude. He was gutted but we were gutted as well. We know he’s an international quality players.

"We are blessed in that position because we’ve got George Ford and Fin Smith, but that doesn’t distract from what a top player he is and the impact he potentially would have had.

"His attitude was ‘I’ll just come back better’, which is what he was doing for Harlequins before he came in.

"I’ve no doubt that if we see him later in the tournament or if it’s after that then he’ll come back in put his hand up like he did."

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