Six Nations: Joe Roberts named out of position on wing for Wales vs England in Cardiff
Wales make two changes to Six Nations side to face England in Cardiff on Super Saturday; Joe Roberts - ordinarily a centre - is named to start on wing for first time in his career, replacing injured Tom Rogers (fractured thumb); in the forwards, Aaron Wainwright replaces Tommy Reffell
By Michael Cantillon
Last Updated: 13/03/25 1:47pm
Wales have made two changes to their starting XV ahead of hosting England at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff for their final-round Six Nations encounter.
Having named an unchanged side from round three to round four - the first time Wales had done so in 66 Tests dating back to 2019 - interim head coach Matt Sherratt was unable to repeat the feat due to a fractured thumb suffered by impressive wing Tom Rogers.
Instead, Joe Roberts - ordinarily a centre - is named to start on the wing for the first time in his professional career. Indeed, each of the 24-year-old's previous 32 starts have come at outside-centre.
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Wales' other change comes in the back-row as Aaron Wainwright replaces Tommy Reffell, who drops down to the bench. That alteration means Wales field a back-row of Wainwright, captain Jac Morgan and No 8 Taulupe Faletau for the first time since their 2023 Rugby World Cup pool-stage win over Australia.
Wales are seeking to end a record run of 16 straight Test defeats when welcoming an England side still involved in the Six Nations title mix.
Elsewhere in the side, full-back Blair Murray and wing Ellis Mee complete the back-three with Roberts, while the centre pairing remains Max Llewellyn and Ben Thomas.
Gareth Anscombe and Tomos Williams fill the half-back positions again, while the front-row unit of Nicky Smith, Elliot Dee and WillGriff John is unchanged.
On the bench, Dewi Lake, Gareth Thomas, Keiron Assiratti, Teddy Williams, Reffell, Rhodri Williams, Jarrod Evans and Nick Tompkins complete the squad.
"Wales vs England is always a special occasion and we know it will be an incredible atmosphere at Principality Stadium," Sherratt said.
"We're excited to finish our campaign at home and are looking to put in our best performance on pitch on Saturday."
Wales: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Ellis Mee, 13 Max Llewellyn, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Joe Roberts, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Tomos Williams; 1 Nicky Smith, 2 Elliot Dee, 3 WillGriff John, 4 Will Rowlands, 5 Dafydd Jenkins, 6 Aaron Wainwright 7 Jac Morgan (c), 8 Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements: 16 Dewi Lake, 17 Gareth Thomas, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 Teddy Williams, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Nick Tompkins.
Six Nations Super Saturday fixtures: Round Five
Saturday March 15
Italy vs Ireland (2.15pm kick-off)
Wales vs England (4.45pm kick-off)
France vs Scotland (8pm kick-off)
British & Irish Lions tour of Australia on Sky Sports
Sky Sports will exclusively show the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, with all three Tests against the Wallabies and six warm-up matches to be shown exclusively live.
British and Irish Lions 2025 tour schedule
| Date | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, June 28 | Western Force | Perth |
| Wednesday, July 2 | Queensland Reds | Brisbane |
| Saturday, July 5 | NSW Warratahs | Sydney |
| Wednesday, July 9 | ACT Brumbies | Canberra |
| Saturday, July 12 | Invitational AU-NZ | Adelaide |
| Saturday, July 19 | AUSTRALIA (first Test) | Brisbane |
| Wednesday, July 22 | TBC | Melbourne |
| Saturday, July 26 | AUSTRALIA (second Test) | Melbourne |
| Saturday, August 2 | AUSTRALIA (third Test) | Sydney |
