England v Argentina, Twickenham, November 14
Johnson looks for a winning combination
Scrum.com
November 12, 2009
England scrum-half Paul Hodgson in action during training, Pennyhill Park, Bagshot, England, October 28, 2009
England scrum-half Paul Hodgson in action during training © Getty Images
Enlarge

England manager Martin Johnson has made four changes to his side to face Argentina at Twickenham on Saturday.

Bath prop Duncan Bell starts in the front-row for the first time since 2005 after an injury to club-mate David Wilson and he is joined there by Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley. Paul Hodgson has displaced Danny Care at scrum-half and partners Jonny Wilkinson in an otherwise unchanged back division from the one that started last weekend's defeat to Australia.

The final change comes in the back-row where James Haskell is rewarded for a lively cameo against the Wallabies with a start in place of Jordan Crane at No.8. Crane has been left out of the 22 after being released from training on Tuesday, with Tom Croft and Lewis Moody also remaining in the back-row trio.

As expected, Gloucester's rookie prop Paul Doran-Jones has been named on the bench following England's front-row injury problems. He is joined by the recalled Joe Worsley and Courtney Lawes and Ayoola Erinle, who both won their first caps last weekend.

Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe will lead Argentina in search of back-to-back victories over the hosts following their success in Salta earlier this year.

Lobbe starts at No.8 in Santiago Phelan's side and is joined in the back-row by openside Alfredo Abadie and blindside Tomas Leonardi. Santiago Fernandez takes the No.10 shirt following Juan Martin Hernandez's withdrawal from the squad with injury.

Martin Rodriguez also profits due to injury and starts in the centre alongside Harlequins' Gonzalo Tiesi after original tour skipper Felipe Contepomi was ruled out. England's injury-ravaged front-row will be tested to the limit by arguably the best in the business, with Rodrigo Roncero, Mario Ledesma and Martin Scelzo all starting. Leicester's Marcos Ayerza must make do with a place on the bench.

England: Ugo Monye (Harlequins); Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks), Dan Hipkiss (Leicester Tigers), Shane Geraghty (Northampton Saints), Matt Banahan (Bath); Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon), Paul Hodgson (London Irish); Tim Payne (London Wasps), Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), Duncan Bell (Bath), Louis Deacon (Leicester Tigers), Steve Borthwick (Saracens, capt), Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers), Lewis Moody (Leicester Tigers), James Haskell (Stade Francais)

Replacements: Steve Thompson (CA Brive), Paul Doran-Jones (Gloucester), Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints), Joe Worsley (London Wasps), Danny Care (Harlequins), Andy Goode (CA Brive), Ayoola Erinle (Biarritz Olympique)

Argentina: Horacio Agulla; Lucas Borges, Gonzalo Tiesi, Martin Rodriguez, Mauro Comuzzi; Santiago Fernandez, Alfredo Lalanne; Rodrigo Roncero, Mario Ledesma, Martin Scelzo, Esteban Lozada, Patricio Albacete, Tomas Leonardi, Alfredo Abadie, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (capt)

Replacements: Alberto Vernet Basualdo, Marcos Ayerza, Manuel Carizza, Alejandro Campos, Agustin Figuerola, Benjamin Urdapilleta, Federico Martin Aramburu

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

Assistant referees: Alan Lewis (Ireland), Peter Allan (Scotland)
Television Match Official: Hugh Watkins (Wales)

© Scrum.com

Live Sports

Communication error please reload the page.