Balshaw gets first start

Iain Balshaw has reaped the reward for his heroics against Australia last week by earning his first start in an England shirt…

Iain Balshaw has reaped the reward for his heroics against Australia last week by earning his first start in an England shirt. Balshaw, who came off the bench to set up England's last-ditch winner in a stirring and inventive cameo performance against the world champions, replaces Bath team-mate Matt Perry at full back as England coach Clive Woodward caps a dramatic week in English rugby by making five changes for tomorrow's Test against Argentina.

Ben Cohen, missing from the Australian clash because of the death of his father, returns on the wing in place of Austin Healey, who pays a heavy price for a suspect performance by being left out of the 22-man squad.

Mark Regan comes in for the injured Phil Greening at hooker, Matt Dawson replaces Kyran Bracken at scrumhalf in a premeditated switch and Julian White comes in for the rested Phil Vickery at prop.

But it is the inclusion of Balshaw, at 21 the youngest man in the England squad, in his preferred role of full back - a position Perry had made his own for club and country with some impressive performances over the past three years - which is the most exciting development in Woodward's thinking.

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He is under no illusions that, as a newcomer in a crucial position, he will face a searching trial from a nation with a penchant for the high ball. "I'm sure they'll see me as the new kid in the team and I expect them to bombard me with high balls and kicks through, but it won't bother me," added Balshaw.

Veteran prop Jason Leonard will be given the honour of leading out the England team at Twickenham for a match in which he becomes the most capped English player of all time with his 86th cap, breaking the record set by Rory Underwood.

ENGLAND: I Balshaw (Bath); B Cohen (Northampton), M Tindall (Bath), M Catt (Bath), D Luger (Saracens); J Wilkin- son (Newcastle), M Dawson (Northampton); J Leonard (Harlequins), M Regan (Bath), J White (Saracens), M Johnson (Leicester, capt), D Grewcock (Saracens), R Hill (Saracens), N Back (Leicester), L Dallaglio (Wasps). Replacements: D West (Leicester), D Flatman (Saracens), P Vickery (Gloucester), M Corry (Leicester), K Bracken (Saracens), W Green- wood (Harlequins), M Perry (Bath).

All Black outhalf Andrew Mehrtens has been dropped to the replacements' bench for New Zealand's Test against Italy in Genoa tomorrow. He has been replaced by Auckland's Carlos Spencer.

There are three other changes from the team which lost 42-33 to France last week. Pita Alatini, Filo Tiatia and Troy Flavell come in for Daryl Gibson, Reuben Thorne and Norm Maxwell.

NEW ZEALAND: C Cullen; D Howlett, T Umaga, P Alatini, B Reihana; C Spencer, J Marshall; G Feek, A Oliver, G Sommerville, T Blackadder, T Flavell, F Tiatia, S Robertson, R Cribb. Replacements: M Hammett, G Slater, N Maxwell, T Randell, B Kelleher, A Mehrtens, J O'Halloran.