Wasps forward James Haskell will make his England debut in Saturday's Six Nations clash against Wales at the Millennium Stadium after Nick Easter was forced to pull out.

The 21-year-old will start at blindside flanker, with Joe Worsley switching to number eight to replace Easter who is suffering from residual pain and restriction of his movement in his neck.

Haskell's promotion means England will field an all-Wasps back-row in Cardiff.

It is also a golden chance for another of England's richly-promising young players to impress, following the example set by Toby Flood, Shane Geraghty and David Strettle against France at Twickenham last Sunday.

Haskell said: "It has been an odd week.

"I have been at Wasps and with England, I've trained at number eight and number six, and I was never sure how Nick was going to be.

"So to find out that I was actually starting was very exciting.

"It has been a pretty rapid ascent I suppose, but I've always tried to approach each game one at a time, whether it's Wasps one week and (England) sevens the next, and learn from each performance and each area as I go.

"I learnt a lot from playing sevens last year, and playing for England Saxons was a step up again.

"I just concentrate on my game and keep my head down and let others worry about the big decisions. I just want to go out and perform."

The 6ft 3in Haskell has been in outstanding form for Wasps this season, having made his first team debut as an 18-year-old.

He has represented England at under-18s under-19 and under-21 levels, in addition to playing for England Saxons this term.

Haskell also played for England in last year's non-cap game against the Barbarians at Twickenham.