Morley: We’re not writing off Wales

Adrian Morley says that England will not go into their Gillette Four Nations opener against Wales with any degree of complacency.

With games against New Zealand and Australia coming up England might be forgiven for taking Wales lightly, but Morley insists that this is not the case.

Wales coach Iestsyn Harris has admitted to nervousness ahead of the encounter at Leigh Sports Village, but believes his side is good enough to cause England problems.

“We’re certainly not writing them off,” said Morley. “We’re preparing for a tough game.

“They’re going to be very spirited. If you go into any game under-done you’ll be in for a rude awakening. We’ll treat them with the respect they deserve.”

Lee Briers returns to the Wales side as captain having missed the 30-6 friendly win over Ireland at Neath, and Morley has identified him as the key player in the Dragons side.

“He’ll be the danger man,” he said. “I know him better than most. He’s a terrific player with fantastic skills. He’s the most experienced player out of the whole squad.”

Iestyn Harris believes that his players’ nerves are only natural ahead of Wales’ Four Nations debut.

“[The players] are a little bit nervous and agitated but you would probably expect those nerves to be there when you are a couple of days away from an elite competition,” he said.

“If they weren’t there you’d probably be a bit more concerned. It is about us finding the right balance as a group now and getting them mentally and physically prepared for Saturday.

“There are some good players in the England side but there are some good players in our side as well and we will see what is around the corner.”