Pumas take centre stage in England's short tour

England's on-off summer "tour" is beginning to resemble musical chairs. Initial plans had seen them pencilled in for South Pacific against the likes of Fiji and Samoa, then it became a West Side Story with the North American continent the destination, before yesterday finally plumping on Evita with a quick hello-goodbye to Argentina.

The tour, if so short a trip can be described in that way, is a whistle-stop affair. The squad leaves the United Kingdom on 10 June and returns a fortnight later having played two matches, not obvious preparation for the World Cup next year.

The first game sees England taking on an Argentina A side on 17 June. The second is a full-blown Test match against the Pumas a week later. The party will be announced at the end of this month.

Scotland's summer is a little fuller, involving a six-match tour of North America and yesterday coach Ian McGeechan announced a 32-man squad. McGeechan has included 12 uncapped players in the party, from which will be drawn the team to play the Barbarians at Murrayfield on 1 June.

Michael Blair, who started the season with Edinburgh Academicals, is given the chance to press for his first international start as one of only two scrum-halves in the party. Worcester's centre Ben Hinshelwood and 19-year-old back-row Ali Hogg, part of the Scottish junior world championship squad earlier this season, are also States-bound.

Phil Greening, the sometime England hooker, has been picked at openside flanker for Wasps' Zurich Championship quarter-final at Sale on Sunday. Lawrence Dallaglio's injury has necessitated the move.

Jack Rowell, the former England coach, has denied that he is contemplating a return to Bath, the club he guided to a string of honours in the 1980s and early 1990s. Rowell said last night: "I am at Bristol and we are sorting a few things out here. I am not going back to Bath." One man returning to his roots though is Swansea and Wales flanker Geraint Lewis who has rejoined Pontypridd on a four-year contract.

Parma have had their two-year European ban suspended on appeal. The Italian side were initially banned for two years and fined just over £6,000 after they failed to turn up for their rearranged Parker Pen European Shield tie with Pontypridd in January. However, the European Rugby Cup, the sport's European governing body, have halved the fine and suspended both penalties for two years on appeal. Sale Sharks have been fined £8,000 after the ERC disciplinary panel ruled they did not properly protect the pitch for their postponed home clash with Narbonne in January and failed to prepare a reserve venue.