Clive Woodward, the England coach, is indulging in yet another experiment with Mike Catt, who has been named on the right wing - a position he has not filled at any level since 1994 - for Saturday's visit of Ireland.

The Bath out-half, who will be making his international comeback at Twickenham after concussion, is preferred to his club-mate Adedayo Adebayo, who has been cast aside for the second time. Catt's surprise selection for what will be his 27th cap is one of two changes from the side that beat Scotland 34-20 at Murrayfield. Tony Diprose, the Saracens number eight, is rewarded for his excellent club form with a recall to the back row at the expense of Newcastle's Dean Ryan, who will be on the bench.

Yesterday, the 26-year-old, South African-born Catt admitted to have played 40 minutes as a wing replacement in a league match against Orrell nearly four years ago - hardly, it seems, the basis on which to begin a new career in the number 11 shirt.

Nevertheless, Woodward has always insisted it does not matter where a player is picked as long as he possesses the all-round skills required by England. Catt, who normally fills his preferred out-half position at Bath, has also played for club and country at full-back with varying degrees of success: in February his mediocre performance at number 15 against France contributed to England's defeat.

"At the moment we have a lot of players such as David Rees, Kyran Bracken and Phil Vickery out injured so we need to get our best players like Mike Catt on the pitch," explained Woodward. "I'm quite excited by what he can bring to the Ireland game - the position he plays in is not an issue. It is my aim to move England's game forward. I think this sends out a message that you have to be a very good footballer to get picked on the wing for England."

Lawrence Dallaglio, the England captain, justified Catt's selection out of position on the grounds that "the job of an international wing has changed in the past two or three years" from one that primarily depends on out-and-out pace into a multi-purpose role. Specialist experience, he implied, was no longer a condition of Test selection: indeed, some players could be forgiven for believing that under Woodward it is in danger of becoming a liability.

Woodward has already converted a scrum-half, Austin Healey, into an international wing with good results so it may be rash to suggest Catt will be a one-match wonder as a wing.

Catt admitted it had been "a big surprise" to get the call after spending a mandatory three weeks on the sidelines. "Still, I haven't put on any weight or anything."

Diprose, who came on as a substitute for Ryan in the final 20 minutes of the Scotland game, wins his sixth cap in the injury enforced absence of Richard Hill and Tim Rodber, the obvious alternatives to the 31-yearold Ryan for the number eight position.

England (v Ireland) - M Perry (Bath); M Catt (Bath), J Guscott (Bath), W Greenwood (Leicester), A Healey (Leicester); P Grayson (Northampton), M Dawson (Northampton); J Leonard (Harlequins), R Cockerill (Leicester), D Garforth (Leicester), M Johnson (Leicester), G Archer (Newcastle), L Dallaglio (Wasps) capt, A Diprose (Saracens), N Back (Leicester). Replacements: P De Glanville (Bath), J Wilkinson (Newcastle), S Benton (Gloucester), G Rowntree (Leicester), D West (Leicesster), D Grewcock (Saracens), D Ryan (Newcastle).