Leigh Halfpenny warns Wales to beware of Mike Brown

Leigh Halfpenny has warned his Wales teammates that opposing fullback Mike Brown can hurt the Six Nations champions when they face England at Twickenham on Sunday.

Brown's defensive excellence and counter-attacking skills, which led to a try for Harlequins teammate Danny Care, were key factors in England's 13-10 win over Ireland last time out.

Fellow fullback Halfpenny - the player of last season's Six Nations tournament and subsequently the series when the British and Irish Lions triumphed in Australia - was impressed.

"He is a great player," Halfpenny said of Brown. "He has been playing very well for a good period of time now.

"He has got a good attacking game. He's quick, he's agile, he is a player that can create something and one that we are going to have to watch.

"If you kick loosely to him, he could hurt you, so that is not something we want to be doing."

Now bound for a big-money move to European champions Toulon, of France, at the end of this season, the 25-year-old Halfpenny had the kind of year in 2013 that is the stuff of fantasy for most players.

"I couldn't ever have dreamt of a year like it," he said. "I am trying to maintain those standards that I set myself.