Freshwater in as Robinson expects tough Pumas battle

ANDY ROBINSON has predicted a “phenomenally tough” game against Argentina at Twickenham on Saturday as England strive to avoid their seventh successive Test defeat.

And Robinson will retain 14 of the starting line-up on the wrong end of a record Twickenham loss to World Cup favourites New Zealand for the Pumas’ visit.

Prop Andrew Sheridan is the exception, but he is recovering from a sore back that meant he will not train today or tomorrow.

And with just a six-day turnaround between games, Robinson felt it was not worth the risk, so he has called-up 33-year-old Perpignan prop Perry Freshwater.

New Zealand-born Freshwater, wins his fourth cap but will make his full-debut after replacement appearances against Samoa, Scotland and Ireland last season.

England slumped to a 41-20 reversal against New Zealand; their heaviest setback at Twickenham, but Robinson said: “I thought it was tremendous the way the team responded in the second half and it is important to give everyone a chance to back up this week in what is going to be a phenomenally tough game.

“Apart from a six minute spell, I was pleased with how we approached the game. We did some really good things out there, and it is not right to make lots of different changes.

“Every opportunity you give to a team like New Zealand they are going to take. They probably scored 17 points they had to craft and work for, but 24 of the points we gave to them with errors.”

Argentina have never beaten England on home soil, and the world champions cannot contemplate suffering another loss which would equal a worst run of results since 1972.

With England and Premier Rugby having agreed that no player will start more than three of the four November Tests – England face back-to-back appointments with South Africa later this month – changes are now inevitable for the Springbok encounters.

Robinson’s priority, though, is to prepare his team for a difficult encounter that they must win.

Robinson added: “Argentina showed against Wales in the summer what a strong side they are. They are very physical and they maul the ball probably more than any other team in the world.

“Behind the scrum they have world-class operators in (Agustin) Pichot and (Felipe) Contepomi. Meanwhile Johnnie Beattie and Rob Dewey are set to make their international debuts in Scotland’s opening Test against Romania.

Beattie, the 20-year-old Glasgow Warriors number eight, and Edinburgh centre Dewey, 23, will start on Saturday.

Stand-off Phil Godman and tight-head prop Euan Murray will also make their first Scotland starts, after winning caps from the bench.

Uncapped forwards David Callam and Jim Hamilton are on the bench – and if both are introduced the number of players to be capped by Scotland will reach 1,000.

England: I Balshaw (Gloucester); P Sackey (Wasps), J Noon (Newcastle), A Allen (Gloucester), B Cohen (Northampton); C Hodgson (Sale Sharks), S Perry (Bristol); P Freshwater (Perpignan), G Chuter (Leicester), J White (Leicester), D Grewcock (Bath), B Kay (Leicester), M Corry (Leicester, capt), L Moody (Leicester), P Sanderson (Worcester).

SCOTLAND: H Southwell (Edinburgh); S Webster (Edinburgh), M Di Rollo (Edinburgh), R Dewey (Edinburgh), S Lamont (Northampton Saints); P Godman (Edinburgh), M Blair (Edinburgh); G Kerr (Border Reivers), D Hall (Edinburgh), E Murray (Glasgow Warriors), N Hines (Perpignan), S Murray (Edinburgh) J White (Sale Sharks, capt), J Beattie (Glasgow Warriors), K Brown (Border Reivers).