WALES boss Rob Howley has called on his side to be “relentless” in Saturday’s Six Nations clash with England in Cardiff.

Both teams head into the fixture at Principality Stadium on the back of wins but with plenty to work on, the champions after edging out France at Twickenham and Howley’s men following a second half power show against Italy in Rome.

Tries during the final quarter from Jonathan Davies, Liam Williams and George North saw them home and Leigh Halfpenny kicked 18 points as they overturned the Azzurri’s 7-3 half-time lead.

Howley said: "Momentum is important in the Six Nations. Italy are coached by three fantastic coaches and we knew how difficult it would be.

“The conditions made it even tougher and we are pleased, but we will move on quickly and focus on the next one."

Howley confirmed that fly-half Dan Biggar took a blow to his ribs - he was replaced at half-time by Sam Davies - while North has a haematoma on his thigh, although he shrugged off the pain to score a late long-range try.

"It's important we start competitions well," Howley added. "We haven't done so since four years ago, really. We can go into the next game with a bit more self-belief and confidence.

"We want to improve in all areas. We use the word relentless, with and without the ball, and there were aspects of our game today when we weren't relentless with the ball.

"We will have to put England under more pressure than we did against Italy, so that is going to be the challenge.

"Our team were disciplined. We trusted our systems, particularly in defence.

"I thought Sam Warburton was outstanding today. I thought he carried well and applied pressure over the ball. We had some key turnovers.

"I am delighted with the back-row balance and their discipline, because that is what wins you games in international rugby."