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Freshwater in to face Pumas
07/11/2006 19:28 - (SA)
Bisham, England - Perry Freshwater was the only change in England's starting line-up when the world champions announced their team here on Tuesday to play Argentina at Twickenham this Saturday.
The 33-year-old prop, who plays his club rugby for French side Perpignan, had been due to face world number one side New Zealand at Twickenham on Sunday.
But a calf injury meant he missed the 41-20 defeat, England's biggest losing margin at their London home. This will be the former Leicester player's first start after a trio of replacement appearances.
Freshwater will replace Andrew Sheridan in England's front-row.
England made three changes to their bench with Wasps lock Tom Palmer replacing Chris Jones, Newcastle flyhalf Toby Flood in for Andy Goode and World Cup-winner Josh Lewsey taking the place of Wasps colleague Mark van Gisbergen.
Flood, Jonny Wilkinson's deputy at Newcastle, has yet to win an England cap.
England coach Andy Robinson retained the three players who all made their debuts against New Zealand - right wing Paul Sackey, inside centre Anthony Allen and scrumhalf Shaun Perry - in his starting line-up.
More changes are now likely
As part of the deal that saw England's Premiership clubs ultimately agree to release their players for the All Blacks match, even though it fell outside the International Rugby Board's 'window' for Test matches, Robinson made it clear that no player would start in more than three of the ailing world champions' four internationals at Twickenham this month.
That means more changes are now likely for the back-to-back Twickenham Tests against South Africa with which England will conclude their November programme.
Defeat against New Zealand was England's sixth in a row and another reverse this weekend would equal their worst run since 1971/72 when they suffered seven straight losses.
Argentina have never won at Twickenham but have enjoyed two victories in 11 meetings with England, winning 15-13 in Buenos Aires in 1990 and again seven years later (33-13), when the majority of England's senior squad were with the British and Irish Lions in South Africa.
However, they have since become an increasingly powerful force in rugby union, with many of their first-team squad now playing for some of Europe's leading clubs.
In 2004 they defeated France 24-14 at the Six Nations champions' rugby stronghold of Marseille and last year beat Scotland 23-19 at Murrayfield.
And in June they twice beat Wales in Argentina.
England (15-1):
Iain Balshaw (Gloucester); Paul Sackey (Wasps), Jamie Noon (Newcastle), Anthony Allen (Gloucester), Ben Cohen (Northampton); Charlie Hodgson (Sale), Shaun Perry (Bristol); Pat Sanderson (Worcester), Lewis Moody (Leicester), Martin Corry (Leicester, capt); Ben Kay (Leicester), Danny Grewcock (Bath); Julian White (Leicester), George Chuter (Leicester), Perry Freshwater (Perpignan/FRA)
Replacements: Lee Mears (Bath), Stuart Turner (Sale), Tom Palmer (Wasps), Magnus Lund (Sale), Peter Richards (Gloucester), Toby Flood (Newcastle), Josh Lewsey (Wasps).
- AFP
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