10:26am, 06 March 2020

Wales have shared a photo of Dan Biggar training with a heavily strapped knee on Friday ahead of their Saturday Guinness Six Nations showdown with England at Twickenham.

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It looked as though the fly-half would miss out on this Test when he was forced off the field last weekend against Saracens with a hyperextended knee while playing for Northampton Saints.

The initial signs did not look good, but he has made a swift recovery to retain his No10 shirt in Wayne Pivac’s team.

The photo was taken during the captain’s run on Friday and while his knee is strapped, the positive for Wales is that he is playing.

While Jarrod Evans is a player that is more than capable of stepping up in Biggar’s absence, Pivac will be delighted that the 30-year-old is available to play.

Biggar has a long-running history with England and has raised his game to near-superhuman levels in this fixture in the past.

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His second-half cameo in the Six Nations last year secured a monumental victory against Eddie Jones’ high-flying team, paving the way for their Grand Slam success. Many English and Welsh fans will also have his imperious 2015 World Cup performance etched in their minds forever.

After two straight losses in February, Biggar is the man Wales want at the helm to guide them through a notoriously tough arena for them to win in.

"Wales have won only two of ten Six Nations fixtures at Twickenham, so the odds are stacked against them. @OwainJTJones asks can Wayne Pivac stage the ultimate smash and grab with question marks over many key players?"#GuinnessSixNations #ENGvWAL

https://t.co/Z4UFztWQgZ — RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 6, 2020

Fortunately, with Leigh Halfpenny in the team as well, Biggar may be relinquished of his kicking duties from the tee if his knee is a hindrance. It’s why the benefit of having two world-class kickers may be illustrated this weekend.

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Questions will linger over the fly-half’s fitness and England will put as much pressure on him as they can early on, but it is likely that Biggar will have a huge say in whether Wales can pull off a victory.

ENGLAND: E Daly (Saracens); A Watson (Bath), M Tuilagi (Leicester), O Farrell (Saracens, capt), J May (Leicester); G Ford (Leicester), B Youngs (Leicester); J Marler (Harlequins), J George (Saracens), K Sinckler (Harlequins), M Itoje (Saracens), G Kruis (Saracens), C Lawes (Northampton), M Wilson (Sale Sharks), T Curry (Sale Sharks). Reps: L Cowan-Dickie (Exeter), E Genge (Leicester), W Stuart (Bath), J Launchbury (Wasps), C Ewels (Bath), B Earl (Saracens), W Heinz (Gloucester), H Slade (Exeter).

WALES: L Halfpenny (Scarlets); G North (Ospreys), N Tompkins (Saracens), H Parkes (Scarlets), L Williams (Scarlets); D Biggar (Northampton), T Williams (Cardiff Blues); R Evans (Scarlets), K Owens (Scarlets), D Lewis (Cardiff Blues), J Ball (Scarlets), A W Jones (Ospreys, capt), R Moriarty (Dragons), J Tipuric (Ospreys), J Navidi (Cardiff Blues). Reps: R Elias (Scarlets), R Carre (Saracens), L Brown (Dragons), A Shingler (Scarlets), T Faletau (Bath), R Webb (Bath), J Evans (Cardiff Blues), J McNicholl (Scarlets).

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