Veteran fly-half Stephen Jones will take the place of James Hook on the Wales bench for the Six Nations international against England after the Perpignan back was ruled out with chicken pox.

Hook joined up with the Wales squad at their London base on Thursday after flying in from France.

But although physically well, a team statement said it was felt that in the “best interests of Welsh team and the opposition, he should be withdrawn from the game,” at Twickenham on Saturday where Six Nations table-toppers Wales will be chasing a Triple Crown.

Jones, Wales’s most capped player with 104 Test appearances, will wear the number 21 shirt vacated by Hook.

The 34-year-old Scarlets veteran, a renowned goalkicker, will provide cover primarily for playmaking fly-half Rhys Priestland, one of the stars of Wales’ run to the semi-finals of last year’s World Cup in New Zealand.

Revised Wales team: Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues); Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues), George North (Scarlets); Rhys Priestland (Scarlets), Michael Phillips (Bayonne); Toby Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons), Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues/capt), Dan Lydiate (Newport Gwent Dragons), Ian Evans (Ospreys), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues). Res: Richard Hibbard (Ospreys), Paul James (Ospreys), Ryan Jones (Ospreys), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Lloyd Williams (Cardiff Blues), Stephen Jones (Scarlets), Scott Williams (Scarlets)