Jones back to skipper Wales

12 April 2012

Ryan Jones has recovered from injury and will captain Wales in Saturday's RBS 6 Nations showdown against England at the Millennium Stadium.

But Wales head coach Warren Gatland still has two major fitness concerns in wing Shane Williams and number eight Andy Powell.

Jones is currently the only change from last weekend's impressive 26-13 victory over Scotland in Edinburgh, replacing Dafydd Jones in the back row.

But Ospreys star Williams, who has scored 45 tries in 62 Tests, missed training on Thursday because of an ankle injury suffered at Murrayfield.

Powell pulled up in training with a tight calf muscle and Wales' fitness staff will give the injury time to settle before making a proper assessment.

If Williams is ruled out - he will be reassessed on Friday - then Scarlets wing Mark Jones will be promoted from outside the match-day 22 to win his 44th cap after recovering from appendix surgery.

Centre Gavin Henson, meanwhile, has not sufficiently recovered from a calf strain to be made available for selection.

Henson was originally selected to face Scotland, but withdrew barely 48 hours before kick-off.

He now misses an eighth successive Test match, although it would have been a huge call by Gatland to change the all-Cardiff Blues midfield partnership of Tom Shanklin and Jamie Roberts, given their superb Murrayfield displays.

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