Stade
Francais' James Haskell has been named as England number
eight for Saturday's home clash with Argentina.
Haskell,24, comes in for Jordan Crane as one of four changes
made by Martin Johnson following last weekend's
disappointing 18-9 reverse against
Australia.
Brive
hooker Steve Thompson is one of the casualties, with
Northampton's Dylan Hartley being preferred now that he is
fit again. The other changes see 35-year-old prop Duncan
Bell come in for the injured David Wilson, while Paul
Hodgson got the nod at scrum half ahead of Danny Care.
Haskell
will win his 20th cap against the Pumas after regaining a
starting berth, although he has never previously played at
number eight for England.
"You
know what you get with him," said Johnson. "He is a very
dynamic player and this is a big opportunity for him to come
in an number eight."
Johnson
had consoling words for Thompson - who will be on the bench
- but said 23-year-old Hartley offered an extra dimension in
terms of ball carrying. "Steve played very well last week
but Dylan is a slightly different player," commented the
England manager.
Toulon's
Jonny Wilkinson remains at fly-half, with Biarritz's Ayoola
Erinle and Brive's Andy Goode among the replacements again.
Argentine, meanwhile, have named 12 French based players in
their match-day 22, with Toulon's Juan Martin Fernández
Lobbe leading the Pumas in the absence of injured club
colleague Felipe Contepomi.
Contepomi is one of three major stars missing due to injury,
along with fly-half Juan Martin Hernandez and Stade Francais
number eight Juan Leguizamon.
But Argentina's threat remains potent,
especially via their battle hardened pack, with the
all-French front row of Rodrigo Roncero (Stade Francais),
Mario Ledesma (Clermont Auvergne) and Martin Scelzo
(Clermont Auvergne) leading the way.
French
club rugby watchers will also be familiar with full-back
Horacio Agulla (Brive), winger Lucas Borges (SCA Albi), and
locks Patricio Albacete (Stade Toulousain) and Esteban
Lozada (Toulon).
Stade
Toulousain's Alberto Vernet Basualdo also makes the bench,
along with Biarritz's Manuel Carizza, Montauban's Alejandro
Campos and Dax's Federico Martin Aramburu.
England starting XV: Monye, Cueto, Hipkiss, Geraghty,
Banahan, Wilkinson, Hodgson, Payne, Hartley, Bell, Deacon,
Borthwick (capt), Croft, Moody, Haskell.
Replacements: Thompson, Doran-Jones, Lawes, Worsley,
Care, Goode, Erinle.
Argentina starting XV: Agulla, Borges, Tiesi,
Rodriguez, Comuzzi, Fernandez, Lalanne, Roncero, Ledesma,
Scelzo, Lozada, Albacete, Leonardi, Abadie, Fernandez-Lobbe
(capt).
Replacements: Basualdo, Ayerza, Carizza, Campos,
Figeurola, Urdapilleta, Aramburu.
