England make four changes following Australia defeat
Wednesday 11 November 2009
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England manager Martin Johnson has made four changes for Saturday's Investec Challenge showdown with Argentina at Twickenham.
Veteran Bath tighthead Duncan Bell, 35, will make his first Test start since 2005 after replacing David Wilson, who injured his neck in last weekend's 18-9 defeat to Australia.
The other three changes are in direct response to England's turgid performance against the Wallabies on with London Irish scrum-half Paul Hodgson awarded his first Test start in place of Danny Care.
The Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley replaces Steve Thompson and James Haskell returns at number eight after both made impressive contributions off the bench.
Leicester's Jordan Crane, who started at number eight last week, has dropped out of the squad altogether with Joe Worsley named among the replacements.
England's injury crisis has opened the door for rookie prop Paul Doran-Jones to be named on the bench after just 266 minutes of Guinness Premiership experience for Gloucester.
Wilson joined senior tightheads Phil Vickery and Julian White on the sidelines last weekend while England are also without senior loosehead Andrew Sheridan.
Johnson said: "With Dylan (Hartley) it was an opportunity to get him back into the team.
"Steve (Thompson) played very well last week but Dylan is a slightly different player.
"He has been around this team all year and it is a good chance for him to play. He is obviously a dynamic ball-carrier for us and I'm looking forward to seeing him out there.
"James (Haskell) is another guy who has been out of the team a little over the last year, but you know what you get with him. It is a big opportunity for him to play at number eight.
"With Paul (Hodgson) and Danny (Care), there is an argument as to who starts and who comes off the bench, but it is an opportunity for Paul to start and he deserves it.
"It's tough call on Jordan Crane but it was a chance to get Joe Worsley back into the squad.
"If you've got a world-class player available you probably need to include him."
Johnson hopes the changes will give his side more urgency after the Australia disappointment.
"The guys probably recognise we dropped off the pace a little after a good start.
"It's a team thing. It's not individual pace it's an urgency of the team to adapt to Test rugby.
"We recognise that and we have got to improve and I think we will improve."
England team to play Argentina in Saturday's Investec Challenge international at Twickenham, kick-off 2.30pm:
U Monye (Harlequins); M Cueto (Sale Sharks), D Hipkiss (Leicester), S Geraghty (Northampton), M Banahan (Bath); J Wilkinson (Toulon), P Hodgson (London Irish); T Payne (Wasps), D Hartley (Northampton), D Bell (Bath), L Deacon (Leicester), S Borthwick (Saracens, capt), T Croft (Leicester), L Moody (Leicester), J Haskell (Stade Francais).
Replacements: S Thompson (Brive), P Doran-Jones (Gloucester), C Lawes (Northampton), J Worsley (Wasps), D Care (Harlequins), A Goode (Brive), A Erinle (Biarritz).
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