WALES EXPECT Ryan Jones, Gavin Henson and Shane Williams to be available to face England at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday evening, but the Gloucester scrumhalf Gareth Cooper has been ruled out with a knee injury, and will be reassessed before the clash against France in Paris at the end of the month.

Jones, the Wales captain, pulled out of the side to face Scotland on the morning of the match with a calf strain, the same problem that had forced Wales to remove Henson two days before, while Williams limped off with an ankle strain shortly after scoring Wales’ fourth try against the Scots on Sunday. Wales had hoped to announce their side today, but have been forced to delay by 48 hours. “Gareth is the only player at the moment who will not be in contention for England,” said the Wales kicking coach, Neil Jenkins.

“Ryan took the decision to withdraw from the Scotland game and it was not worth the risk on a heavy pitch. Gavin should be fine and Shane is being monitored. We will have a quiet week until Thursday because a six-day turnaround always makes preparation difficult. We did not get back from Scotland until the early hours of Monday because our plane was stuck on the runway in Edinburgh for two hours.”

Meanwhile, prop Geoff Cross and the wing Simon Webster are Scotland’s biggest causes for concern ahead of Saturday’s match against France in Paris, with the team to be named today.

Both players suffered knocks to the head at Murrayfield. Scotland’s team doctor, James Robson, said: “Simon is fully conscious today as he was last night. He has had a good night’s sleep and will now be subject to the usual protocol after a head injury. Geoff also had a good night’s sleep and will be subject to the same protocol. He also has strains to both knees.”

The rules will see both players monitored through various degrees of physical activity before being examined by a neurologist.

• Guardian Service