RBS SIX NATIONS - ENGLAND v WALES
Venue: Twickenham Date: Saturday, 6 February Kick-off: 1700 GMT
Coverage: Exclusively live on BBC ONE, BBC HD channel, Red Button and online, full commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, Radio Wales and Radio Cymru, live text commentary and score updates on BBC Sport website

Gareth Cooper starts ahead of Richie Rees against England

Wales coach Warren Gatland admits scrum-half Gareth Cooper would not be starting against England had the team been picked 10 days ago.

Cooper has recently been second-choice at Cardiff Blues to Richie Rees, but that has been reversed for the Six Nations opener at Twickenham.

Gatland says Cooper has earned his place in training.

"Richie would have come into the camp in the box seat, but Gareth's really responded well," said Gatland.

Uncapped Rees has appeared 17 times in competitive Blues games this season while Cooper has done so 16 times.

However, Rees started four of the Blues' six Heineken Cup pool games ahead of his more internationally experienced rival.

Gatland says he and his coaching assistants marked Rees down for a potential debut start against England when preparations began for the tournament.

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He said: "Gareth hasn't played that well for the Blues. But we don't make the selection straight away and look at how players respond in the squad and in training.

"And I must say that Gareth Cooper's trained exceptionally well for us in the last 10 days or so and that's what this selection is made from.

"We looked at his form for Wales which has been pretty good and he's come in here with some confidence.

"He's passed well, he's talked well and he made so much of an impression on us in terms of the way he's trained that it's really won his selection.

"He's had to fight really hard for it. He's responded well to that challenge and if I was being honest and had had to pick the team on day one, that Gareth wouldn't have been part of the starting line-up.

"And as coaches we've got to go sometimes on gut feeling."

He's ended up being the fittest player in the squad Wales coach Warren Gatland on Gareth Cooper

Gatland also revealed Cooper is the fittest player in the Wales squad.

He added: "Fitness tests of the players say he's the quickest nine and he's ended up being the fittest player in the squad... so he's had to fight really hard so it's been a big challenge for him.

"Sometimes players shy away from that. He's not the most out-going person. Gareth is a quiet guy.

"He's very likeable so I've seen another side to him. He's said "I'm not going to let this go on. I'm going to fight hard for my position and I want to not make it easy for the coaches to drop me and let someone else play in that nine position".

"So I couldn't ask for any more in the way he's responded to that challenge and I hope he goes out and proves us right and has a good game.

"I'm sure there's going to be an opportunity for Richie at some stage, because his form for the Blues has been excellent.

"But we can only go on what we see in front of us."

Gatland also says there is no difference of opinion with Blues boss Dai Young over the rivals merits of Cooper and Rees.

"I fully understand their [Blues] selection recently because Richie was picked as the player on form and has played particularly well in recent weeks for the Blues," said Gatland.

"And like I said he would have come into the camp in the box seat, but Gareth's really responded well to that challenge."

Wales team to face England: Lee Byrne (Ospreys); Tom James (Blues), James Hook (Ospreys), Jamie Roberts (Blues), Shane Williams (Ospreys); Stephen Jones (Scarlets); Gareth Cooper (Blues); Paul James (Ospreys), Gareth Williams (Blues), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Luke Charteris (Dragons), Andy Powell (Blues), Martyn Williams (Blues), Ryan Jones (Ospreys, capt).
Replacements: Huw Bennett (Ospreys), Rhys Gill (Saracens), Bradley Davies (Blues), Jonathan Thomas (Ospreys), Richie Rees (Blues), Andrew Bishop (Ospreys), Leigh Halfpenny (Blues).

Wales' 35-man Six Nations squad:

Backs: Gareth Cooper, Leigh Halfpenny, Tom James, Richard Rees, Jamie Roberts, Tom Shanklin (all Cardiff Blues) Dan Biggar, Andrew Bishop, Lee Byrne, James Hook, Kristian Phillips, Tom Prydie, Shane Williams (all Ospreys), Jonathan Davies, Stephen Jones, Martin Roberts (all Scarlets).

Forwards: Bradley Davies, Gethin Jenkins, Deiniol Jones, Andy Powell, Sam Warburton, Gareth Williams, Martyn Williams (all Cardiff Blues), Huw Bennett, Ian Gough, Paul James, Adam Jones, Alun-Wyn Jones, Ryan Jones, Jonathan Thomas (all Ospreys), Matthew Rees (Scarlets), Luke Charteris, Dan Lydiate (both Newport Gwent Dragons), Eifion Lewis-Roberts (Sale Sharks), Rhys Gill (Saracens).

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