Strongman McBryde relishes test

'I still do weightlifting but not as seriously as before. The Welsh strongman competition only ran for four years and I stopped when it was scrapped.

'I was doing that and playing rugby at the same time because they complemented each other. As well as building up strength, there was a great deal of fitness, climbing ropes and lifting all sorts of things.' It could be Welsh spirits which need lifting at vital moments on Saturday, which is where Young comes in.

As captain, he knows he is responsible for keeping his men on an even keel, should the English try to engulf them in a storm. More importantly, he must perform well as part of a pack which will inevitably come under pressure in almost every phase of play.

'The back division England have selected is a sign of their confidence at the moment,' said Young, who has played only four games since suffering a calf injury on September 2.

'This is them trying to step things up to another level. It's a measure of how far they feel they've come in recent seasons.

'It's up to us to stand up, front up and meet the challenge. 'I've had four games back and obviously I just wanted to make myself available for selection. It's just a matter of wanting to give it my best possible effort. If we win, I suppose I'm 100 per cent fit. If we lose, people will say I'm not quite there yet.

'We're all experienced boys in the front row and I'm sure Darren and Robin will relish the challenge of playing against England.

'We have huge respect for the English front five. They've done the job against all the big boys.

'The challenge is up front every time we play England. It's nothing new in a Wales-England contest.' Young is honest enough to admit, too, that Welsh forwards losing the sight of their discipline would also be nothing new in this game.

'We've had our backsides kicked two or three times against England and, in each of those defeats, discipline has let us down,' he said. 'The rivalry is something we have to put to the back of our minds.

'This game is important, not just because it's England but because it's our first game of the Six Nations.

'We must play with our heads and not our hearts, which have let us down the last few times we've played England.' Young will go head-to-head with Jason Leonard on Saturday and the Welshman was quick to praise his English rival, who will be starting his 88th Test - just five behind the total of All Black legend Sean Fitzpatrick.

'Jason has set a record that probably won't be beaten,' said Young.'He is playing as well as ever, which is not good news for us opposition props.'