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BEN YOUNGS has been named as the man Wales must stop if they are to beat England in Friday’s Six Nations opener.

The 21-year-old scrum-half starts his first championship match in a side which shows three changes from the last outing against South Africa.

Northampton flanker Tom Wood is given his debut in place of injured captain Lewis Moody, with fellow crocks Tom Croft and Courtney Lawes replaced by James Haskell and Louis Deacon respectively.

Mike Tindall, the 66-cap World Cup winner, is captain for the first time, as Mirror Sport revealed on Saturday.

But Leicester star Youngs is the chief threat, according to Dragons legend Jonathan Davies. “In this England squad Youngs is the key,” said Davies, now a BBC pundit.

“If England get on the front foot he controls the tempo of the game, he’s very clever.

“He runs into gaps, sucks defenders in, puts team-mates through holes, who then suck defenders in, then England go wide with pace.

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“England traditionally look to their fly-half to call the shots but, to my mind, Youngs has taken over as the player controlling their game.”

The Norfolk-born youngster is braced for a fierce battle with Wales No.9 Mike Phillips – and a fiery reception from the home crowd inside the Millennium Stadium.

The Welsh public have not forgotten the sight of Youngs hushing the Llanelli crowd and indicating to them to calm down after he scored a try against Scarlets in the Heineken Cup. “I did it in the heat of the moment, but I’ve learned from it,” he admitted last night. “I got told off by my mother. She told me never to do it again and I won’t.”

Youngs suspects he will have his hands full just dealing with Phillips, one of the stars of the 2009 Lions series in South Africa.

“He’s very experienced and there may be a bit of banter around the scrum, a bit of sledging,” he said. “He might try to push me around a little. I’m expecting a big physical challenge.

“But as long as you know what’s coming your way you can get yourself in the right place (mentally) not to be put off by it. I think that’s why Martin Johnson told us what we can expect at the Millennium Stadium, so no one runs on to the pitch thinking, ‘Blimey, why’s that guy doing that’ ?”

Labels: Davies, England, legend, Mirrorcouk, Wales, Youngs