Bold Woodward issues warning to Healey and Worsley

Clive Woodward was back on favourite ground yesterday, explaining the thinking behind a bold and imaginative England selection for Sunday's non-cap outing against the Barbarians at Twickenham. Unfortunately for the red rose manager, Old England kept encroaching on New England territory. If Woodward is genuinely excited at the prospect of James Simpson-Daniel, Phil Christophers and James Forrester mixing it with Jonah Lomu and company, he is also exasperated at the liberties being taken by more senior members of his élite squad.

For instance, he was less than ecstatic when Austin Healey and Joe Worsley were named in the Baa-Baas party for the matches with Scotland and Wales next week. Healey, unavailable for either side at Twickenham because of Heineken Cup commitments with Leicester, says he is in dire need of a rest and will miss next month's Test visit to Argentina, yet was apparently happy to play through the fatigue for the sake of a few extra shekels. Worsley, who will travel to South America, was prepared to risk injury for the same reason. Woodward has spoken sharply to both. "I don't think you'll see them playing for the Barbarians," he said.

Meanwhile, Matthew Dawson, of Northampton, has pulled out of Sunday's game because he requires a scan on his knee – a sudden development that threatens his participation in Argentina and may leave England seriously short of experience at scrum-half. Given that the Northampton management were among the most voluble in questioning the purpose, not to mention the sanity, of a short summer tour at the end of the longest domestic season on record, the England hierarchy are awaiting the scan results with interest.

Keen not to fan a smouldering argument into a conflagration, Woodward chose his words carefully yesterday. But he could not resist a choice line or two. "I would never have let anyone have my England shirt if I could have helped it," he said. "People take big risks doing that. I was never as confident as some seem to be of keeping my place." Point made.

While Woodward is acutely aware of the fundamental incompatibility of club and international rugby at this stage of the campaign – European finals have deprived him of players from Leicester and Sale, while the end-of-season injury count is astronomical – he takes considerable solace from the opportunity to blood his best youngsters and rehabilitate some of those more seasoned professionals who may yet play a part in his World Cup thinking.

Andy Gomarsall, the Gloucester scrum-half, could do himself a power of good over the next month, as could his fellow Kingsholmite, the loose-head prop Trevor Woodman. Woodward's tentative plan to move the latter to hooker has been shelved – "If he isn't going to play there on a regular basis at club level, there is precious little point in pursuing the idea," the manager confessed – but that mild frustration is balanced by the fact that Woodman is playing his best rugby for some time in his favoured position.

Remarkably, another front-row forward in Woodward's party, the long-serving hooker Mark Regan, has been labelled surplus to requirements by Bath. The struggling Premiership club announced yesterday that the 1997 Lion, who has two years left on his contract, was free to move elsewhere.

After 130 first-team appearances in five seasons, Regan was understandably upset, if not entirely surprised in light of Bath's recent decision to sign the veteran Welsh hooker Jon Humphreys from Cardiff. "To be honest, I haven't been happy at the Recreation Ground since Jon Callard left," he said last night, referring to the former head coach, who lost his job to the Australian Michael Foley in March. "I've said what I had to say to Michael and that's that."

In another surprise move, the Gloucester owner, Tom Walkinshaw, has stood down from the chairmanship of Premier Rugby, the élite clubs' umbrella group, and relinquished his seat on the board of England Rugby Ltd. Charles Jillings, of Harlequins, is the new chairman. The chief executive, Howard Thomas, fills the ERL vacancy.

ENGLAND (v Barbarians, Twickenham, Sunday): M Horak (London Irish); J Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester), G Appleford (London Irish), B Johnston (Saracens), P Christophers (Bristol); D Walder (Newcastle), A Gomarsall (Gloucester); T Woodman (Gloucester), S Thompson (Northampton), P Vickery (Gloucester, capt), S Shaw (Wasps), H Vyvyan (Newcastle), P Gustard (London Irish), J Forrester (Gloucester), J Worsley (Wasps). Replacements: M Regan (Bath), D Flatman (Saracens), A Codling (Harlequins), G Seely (Northampton), N Walshe (Sale), P Jones (Orrell), K Sorrell (Saracens).