Never mind that England are preparing to face the equivalent of a howitzer by warming up against a popgun in Wales tonight, some players are in pressing need of competitive action before the Gillette Four Nations, which starts next week.

A 74-0 rout of Wales 12 months ago did little to steel England for encounters with Australia and New Zealand in the 2008 World Cup. A similar score would also need placing in the context of forthcoming fixtures against France, in Doncaster on Friday, the Kangaroos and Kiwis.

The game in Bridgend is, nonetheless, the opportunity for the bulk of the England team, minus the Leeds Rhinos and St Helens contingents after engage Grand Final a week ago, to stretch their legs in the wake of a month’s inactivity, or more in some cases.

In the absence of Rob Burrow, the experienced Leeds scrum half, Tony Smith, the England coach, has invested a great deal of faith and hope in Richie Myler — for whom the Gillette Fusion international at the Brewery Field will be his first game since July 31 — fulfilling the pivotal role.

Myler, 19, was left out of the Salford City Reds side as he completed an often tortuous move to Smith’s Warrington Wolves for next season. Having played only five times since his record 30-point contribution in the victory against France in Paris in June, the teenager admitted having a nervous couple of months before his selection by Smith as his first-choice No 7 for the Four Nations.

“It seemed like it was taking an eternity to come and then, all of a sudden, it’s on the doorstep,” Myler, who scored two tries on his England debut against Wales last year, said.

“I can’t wait to get into it. I know it’s going to be a really tough challenge, but that’s what you play rugby for. It would mean the world to play against Australia. It’s every boy’s dream when you are watching the telly, thinking, ‘I want to do that one day.’ ”

The partnership at half back of Myler and Sam Tomkins, the 20-year-old Super League Young Player of the Year, is especially intriguing for a side with only five survivors from the team who lost to New Zealand in the World Cup semi-finals. Wales have beaten England only once in their past 12 meetings, an 18-16 victory in Cardiff that clinched the 1995 European Championship.

Adrian Morley, who captains the England side in Jamie Peacock’s absence, said: “It was a little bit disappointing the amount of points we racked up against Wales last year. They’re in a bit of a rebuilding phase and they’ll be a lot more spirited and give us a tougher test, without a doubt. Some of us haven’t played for a little while and it will do us a world of good to get our timing and some combinations going.”

It is a baptism of fire for Iestyn Harris, the new Wales coach, before his team’s European Cup group games against Serbia and Ireland, with seven players expected to make their international debuts.

“We’ve isolated some places where we think England have got weaknesses and we’ll try and implement that,” Harris said. “If we can do that and hold the ball, I think we’ll cause England some trouble. We’ve got good young talent within our ranks that the England team won’t know about.”

Elland Road will host the 2010 Carnegie World Club Challenge for a third successive year, between Leeds and Melbourne Storm, the respective Super League and NRL champions, on February 28. Manly Sea Eagles became the first Australian winners of the title for six years when they beat Leeds 28-20 in March.

How they line up
Wales (from): M Barron, A Bateman, A Blackwood, N Budworth, G Davies, R Divorty, G Dudson, B Flower (captain), R Griffiths, J James, E Kear, C Kopzcak, L Mills, C Roets, I Watson, I Webster, L White, L Williams, R Williams.
England: P Sykes; P Fox, S O’Loughlin, M Shenton, T Briscoe; S Tomkins, R Myler; A Morley (captain), S Moore, G Carvell, G Ellis, B Westwood, S Burgess. Interchange: L McCarthy-Scarsbrook, M Higham, D Tickle, C Bridge.

Referee: T Alibert (France).

Television: Live on Sky Sports 3 from 6pm (kick-off 6.15pm).