• Wales v England, Six Nations

Bullish Foden demands England statement

England fullback Ben Foden has stoked the pre-match fire ahead of his side's showdown with Wales in Cardiff © Getty Images

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Fullback Ben Foden has launched the latest verbal grenade in the build-up to England's Six Nations showdown with Wales by demanding his side put their "younger brother" in his place.

The 25-year-old Saints flyer, who is set for his first appearance at Wales' cauldron-like Millennium Stadium tonight, has backed England to make a winning start to their Championship campaign in the latest of a series of headline-grabbing outbursts that have punctuated the build-up to the game.

"In a way, we have to think: 'We are England, we are the big country, we are going to put these guys in their place,'" he told the Daily Mail. "It feels like we are the older brother and we have to make sure we beat our younger brother. We cannot let our younger brother get the better of us. Everyone goes on about how good the Welsh and Irish have been for years, so we want to beat those two away from home and say: 'Hey boys, we're back.'"

England have not tasted success at the Millennium Stadium since 2003 when current manager Martin Johnson captained the side. But Foden, who has emerged as a world-class talent in the last year, is confident of ending that barren run.

"We are confident we can start that process by winning at the Millennium Stadium and we feel like it's our best chance for years of winning the RBS Six Nations title. Rugby started in England - we created the game and take pride in that. We have massive resources and money in the English game, the Premiership is one of the best leagues in the world and Twickenham is a fantastic stadium. To us, rugby feels like it is an English sport so it is time we got back to the top. For the first time in a long while, we feel ready to do that."

Foden is also relishing the prospect of experiencing a packed Millennium Stadium for the first time with a capacity crowd and closed roof set to ensure an electric atmosphere. "Running out of the tunnel for a Wales v England game will be an incredible moment, he said. "This match has the most rivalry to it because the countries are next-door neighbours, there is always so much hype surrounding it and then their coach Warren Gatland said a few things about Dyls (Dylan Hartley, below) to add to that hype. When you play New Zealand you're really up for it, but there is something about this game that sets it apart. It's going to be the most hostile environment I've ever played in."

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