Veteran England prop Jason Leonard will make history in Sunday's Rugby World Cup quarter-final with Wales when he equals French great Philippe Sella's record number of international caps.

Leonard, 35, was promoted from the bench into the full-strength English team at the expense of loose-head Trevor Woodman and will run-on for his 111th Test at Suncorp Stadium.

It was the only change coach Clive Woodward made to the starting XV which defeated South Africa 25-6 on October 18.

Woodward, who experimented with recent selections for Samoa and Uruguay, denied any sentimentality in choosing Leonard and praised the three-time British Lions tourist for demanding a place back in his World No.1 outfit.

"He's just a fantastic guy to have on the team," said Woodward. "That (the record) is just a tremendous achievement."

But the humble Leonard said he had not given a "second of thought" to the mark.

"It's not about me, it's about the team, so literally all my thoughts have been channelled towards the weekend," he said.

The closest Leonard could get to describing the achievement was that his experience would be compared to that of mercurial backs Sella and Australia's David Campese (101 Tests).

"To me, Campo and Philippe are greatly admired. They are great players and to be somewhere close to them is great."

Leonard is keen to see Sella, in Australia to follow the French, keep his word and toast his success.

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