Gatland's selection calls for England game spark Twitter debate

After Warren Gatland announced his Wales team to face England this weekend, there has been a backlash from the fans over some players he did or did not pick.

In what looks to be the deciding fixture of the Championship, the New Zealander has reverted to a similar team that faced France in round one, albeit with some minor injury changes such as Gareth Davis replacing Tomos Williams.

This selection, however, has raised a few eyebrows from the fans. Many Wales supporters have questioned the absence of Thomas Young from the matchday squad. The Wasps flanker has been knocking on the door to start for Wales for years now, and earned his first Six Nations start against Italy in the last round. In what was not the greatest Welsh performance, Young performed well, and was a nuisance at the breakdown as usual.

The current back row of Josh Navidi, Justin Tipuric and Ross Moriarty are performing well and have experience in such a big game, but many feel that Young deserved a place on the bench ahead of Aaron Wainwright this Saturday. A lot of fans seem to sympathise with the 26-year-old, who is finding it very hard to break through in Wales given his success he has in England every week:

Elsewhere, the selection of Gareth Anscombe ahead of Dan Biggar is another hot topic amongst Welsh fans. Anscombe is regarded as the more exciting option at 10, but it seems many would prefer the dependability of Biggar for such a huge test.

Biggar’s kicking may be crucial against England, and the Northampton fly-half has a track record of kicking points under pressure.

This is what the fans had to say:

In what is traditionally a very tight match, particularly at the Principality Stadium, the bench will be crucial. The Wales fans do not seem to have a lot of confidence in their bench for this Saturday, and this could be one of the determining factors in deciding the Championship.

Watch: Wales head coach Warren Gatland explains his selections