Woodward unveils new England faces to confront Barbarians
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Your support makes all the difference.Clive Woodward has named 12 uncapped players among a vastly revised England squad for Sunday week's Prudential Tour game against the Barbarians at Twickenham.
Only 15 of Woodward's original 27-man party, selected a fortnight ago, remain. Several players, including Lawrence Dallaglio, Iain Balshaw, Mike Tindall and Declan Danaher, will miss the fixture through injury.
Four others – Josh Lewsey, Michael Stephenson, Ben Johnston and Nick Duncombe – have been switched to England's squad for the London Sevens on 24-25 May, while the fly-half Jonny Wilkinson is rested and the wing Ben Cohen drops out. Cohen has already played a maximum 32 games for club and country, under the England Rugby Limited agreement arranged earlier this season.
In come the Gloucester wing James Simpson-Daniel, Bristol's Phil Christophers, South Africa-born London Irish backs Michael Horak and Geoff Appleford, the Leeds wing Dan Scarbrough, the Northampton forwards Robbie Morris and Grant Seely, together with the Newcastle lock Hugh Vyvyan.
No players from Leicester or Sale were considered because of those clubs' European finals on 25-26 May.
The England prop Julian White yesterday received a 21-day ban after being sent off for fighting in Bristol's Premiership game against Leicester earlier this month. The Leicester back row forward Adam Balding, who was dismissed with White in the same incident, will serve a 14-day suspension.
White's ban begins today, so he will miss the Premiership play-off at Leicester on Saturday and the play-off semi-finals on the first weekend of June, should Bristol advance. Balding must also sit out the Bristol play-off, but he will be available for the Heineken Cup final against Munster in Cardiff on 25 May, as his suspension takes effect from last Friday.
A citing made against Bristol's Argentinian international fly-half Felipe Contepomi was dismissed and he is now free to play for Bristol in their play-off meeting at Welford Road.
The Munster coach, Declan Kidney, has injury concerns before the Heineken Cup final against Leicester in 10 days' time. The second row Paul O'Connell and No 8 Anthony Foley are doubtful, along with the flanker Jim Williams and the Ireland A winger Anthony Horgan.
Williams is having treatment on his calf, while Foley and Horgan both have shoulder problems. O'Connell has an ankle ligament injury.
Wales have suffered a double injury blow before next month's South Africa tour. The Bridgend back Dafydd James and the Bath scrum-half Gareth Cooper withdrew from the squad yesterday. James, who has an elbow injury, will be replaced by the Neath centre James Storey. Cardiff's uncapped Ryan Powell takes over from Cooper.
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