By Paddy von Behr, Sportsbeat

ROSS Moriarty may be a wildcard selection for Wales’ World Cup training squad but captain Sam Warburton insists he is delighted to see the Gloucester youngster involved.

A former England Under-20 back-rower, Moriarty has switched allegiances to the other side of the River Severn after an impressive breakthrough season at Kingsholm.

The 21-year-old is the son of former Wales international Paul, while his uncle is former Wales captain Richard Moriarty and Ross is hoping to follow in their footsteps.

That begins with a series of training camps as part of Warren Gatland’s 47-man training squad, before the head coach whittles it down to 31 at the end of August.

And Warburton is excited to link-up with Moriarty as the youngster seeks to force his way into the World Cup reckoning.

“I have known of Ross for a while and I am really excited they picked him,” said Warburton.

“There are a few guys they could have picked who are Welsh-based but from what I have heard from the Gloucester boys he is going to be a great addition to the squad.

“The squad is such a good bunch of boys and any time a new player comes in, everybody welcomes them with open arms. It sort of happens naturally so the new boys will fit right in.

“From my experience in the 2011 World Cup there are players who might have been on the fringe of the squad at this stage but they worked their way into the World Cup.

“Everybody has got an opportunity. The coaches are very much of the opinion that if you are in form, then you will be given a crack. If you are good enough, then you are old enough.”

Wales have landed a tricky pool at the World Cup, lining up alongside Australia, England, Fiji and Uruguay with just two teams progressing to the knockout stages.

The England clash will be a repeat of that 2012 game at Twickenham, as Wales head to the home of rugby seeking to topple the hosts.

However, Warburton is adamant that Six Nations defeat to the Red Rose in Cardiff just four months ago is not weighing heavy in their minds during the build-up.

He added: “It is a tough pool but we are going to have to beat sides like that if we want to win it anyway. England will be one of the highest-profile games that any of us will be involved in.

“Games go back and forth, you win some and you lose some but because it’s Wales-England and it will always have a massive amount of expectation from both sets of fans. You don’t need much to get very excited for that game.”

Sam Warburton is a Land Rover ambassador. Land Rover, a Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup 2015, will be recruiting two official Rugby World Cup 2015 mascots at a beach rugby festival on Barry Island on Saturday July 4. Follow @LandRoverRugby #WeDealInReal