Ioan Cunningham has named his side ahead of Wales women’s Six Nations clash against
England in Bristol, with scrum-half Sian Jones in line for her first start following her debut last weekend. The No 9 is one of six changes made by Cunningham as they are set to face an English side who are off the back of a thumping 48-0 win in
Italy last Sunday. Jones came off the bench in Wales’ 20-18 defeat to
Scotland at the Cardiff Arms Park but starts ahead of the experienced Keira Bevan, who drops down to the bench. READ MORE: Welsh rugby's defining moment: What to expect from the big review READ MORE: The reason expert says Kansas City Chiefs will be 'perfect' for Louis Rees-Zammit Fly-half Lleucu George remains in the starting XV, with a second change in the backfield seeing wing Carys Cox start ahead of 19-year-old Nel Metcalfe. Captain Hannah Jones remains with Kerin Lake in the centre. Former England U20s full-back Jenny Hesketh starts in the back three alongside Cox and Jasmine Joyce. There are two changes in the front row as Carys Phillips and Donna Rose start ahead of Kelsey Jones and Sisilia Tuipulotu, while Georgia Evans starts ahead of Natalia John in the second row. Alex Callender co-captains in the back row with Bethan Lewis at No 8 but there’s a change at six with Kate Williams starting with Alisha Butchers starting on the bench. They travel to Ashton Gate to face an inform England side, who are off the back of winning the WXV1 competition at the end of last year and haven’t lost a Six Nations fixture since 2018. Cunningham explained the reasoning behind his selection changes: “England are the benchmark side for every nation in the women’s game and we have nothing to lose against a team that won the Grand Slam last season," he said. “We have some real experience on the bench, and we expect them to make an impact but we are relishing the challenge we face on Saturday. “We have made six changes to face England in Bristol and are under no illusions of the challenge facing us. We have strength in depth in the squad and this is an opportunity for the players selected to show what they can do. “We need to focus on what we do and we had a robust review of the Scotland game and the players identified the areas that we have to improve on for this weekend’s Test match. “Carys Phillips and Donna Rose know the challenge we face up front, and Georgia Evans’ made an impact when she came on against Scotland. Flanker Kate Williams has trained well and been pushing for a place and deserves an opportunity to start. “Sian Jones is very much part of this squad and a player we believe has a big future on the international stage. Carys Cox has been selected on the wing and has impressed since we came together as a squad.”