England last night elevated gifted Gloucester wing James Simpson-Daniel to the international big time, and he admitted: "It hasn't sunk in yet."

Simpson-Daniel will face New Zealand at Twickenham today, winning his
first cap just five months after achieving what no other England player has managed - giving All Blacks superstar Jonah Lomu the run around.

But while the 20-year-old from Stockton celebrates his call-up, Lions and Leicester flanker Neil Back finds himself filling an unfamiliar role of
replacement back-row forward.

Not since England lost to the All Blacks at Old Trafford five years ago -head coach Clive Woodward's second game in charge - has Back been capped off the bench.

His subsequent 44 England appearances, culminating in a 50th cap as skipper
against Italy last April, were all made in the starting XV.

Woodward has gone with a back-row of Lewis Moody at blindside flanker, Richard Hill filling Back's usual openside role and Lawrence Dallaglio as number eight.

Hill becomes the 12th member of England's 50-cap club, while Dallaglio should also join that exclusive group when world champions Australia arrive at Twickenham on Saturday week.

Conceivably, there is every chance Back could start either against the
Wallabies or South Africa seven days later, but with his 34th birthday looming, England's management team might just have started planning a long-term strategy that does not include him among the first-choice trio.

Simpson-Daniel, a product of the same Sedbergh School rugby academy as Will
Carling and Will Greenwood, made his Gloucester debut less than two years ago.

But he has already established himself as a devastating finisher - he destroyed a disbelieving Lomu when England beat the Barbarians in a non-cap game earlier this year - and deserves his promotion.

"It hasn't really sunk in yet," said Simpson-Daniel. "Clive Woodward has confidence in me, and I will go out there and play my hardest and try not to let anyone down."

With the 2003 World Cup less than 12 months away, Simpson-Daniel has a golden chance to stake his claim, although injured pair Dan Luger and Iain Balshaw remain part of Woodward's thinking.

Simpson-Daniel's Gloucester colleague, scrum-half Andy Gomarsall, is not so
fortunate.

While the hugely-experienced Matt Dawson deservedly returns for his first
England start since the Grand Slam-ending Six Nations defeat against Ireland last October, in-form Gomarsall has missed out behind Austin Healey as bench cover.

Healey, declared fit despite missing Leicester's last two matches through an
Achilles problem, will also provide fly-half back-up to Jonny Wilkinson.

Elsewhere, Mike Tindall has secured a centre berth alongside Greenwood.
Another midfield candidate, Tindall's Bath team-mate Mike Catt, misses out
because of a hamstring problem.

Catt's place in training today was taken by Leeds full-back Dan Scarbrough, with Saracens prop David Flatman featuring instead of Leicester's Graham Rowntree (thigh strain).

Rowntree's problem will continue to be monitored, but he could miss all three
November Tests.

Woodward and his coaching team have rewarded current form up front, where
Gloucester prop Trevor Woodman and Bath lock Danny Grewcock gain selection.

Woodman, whose five previous Test appearances were all made off the
replacements' bench, can now celebrate his first England start.

An outstanding display during Gloucester's Premiership victory over
Northampton on Saturday - a performance watched by Woodward and England scrummaging coach Phil Keith-Roach - would have clinched the deal for Woodman.

But Harlequins loosehead Jason Leonard, capped 97 times, retains his place in the England 22, raising prospects of him edging ever nearer the magical 100 Test appearances mark.

Grewcock, a Test Lion in Australia 16 months ago, has pipped Kay, courtesy of
maintaining a consistently high level of club form despite Bath's poor league
season.

It will be Grewcock's 34th cap, and his considerable physical presence
underlines a significant England advantage - at least on paper - over an
inexperienced New Zealand front-five.

The eight players among Woodward's 30-man autumn Test squad not available or
not required for All Blacks duty are wings Phil Christophers and Marcel Garvey, Leicester hooker Dorian West, Wasps lock Simon Shaw, Gloucester back-row forward James Forrester, Gomarsall, Rowntree and Catt.