England: Freshwater the only change

England coach Andy Robinson has made just one change for the clash against Argentina at Twickenham on Saturday.

Despite the Twickenham record 41-20 loss to World Cup favourites New Zealand, head coach Robinson has resisted the temptation to make wholesale switches.

Perpignan prop Perry Freshwater takes over from Andrew Sheridan as the only alteration, although Wasps lock Tom Palmer, uncapped Newcastle centre Toby Flood and fit-again World Cup winner Josh Lewsey all feature on the bench.

Palmer replaces Chris Jones, with Flood in for Leicester outhalf Andy Goode and Lewsey preferred to his club colleague fullback Mark Van Gisbergen.

An agreement between England and Premier Rugby means Robinson will field no player in more than three of the November Tests - his team also face back-to-back appointments with South Africa - so further changes are inevitable.

Robinson's immediate priority, though, is to halt a run of six successive defeats - England have not lost seven straight matches since 1972.

Jamie Noon's disallowed "try" in the New Zealand Test should have counted, according to the International Rugby Board. The IRB's referees' manager, Paddy O'Brien, said, "It was absolutely a try."

ENGLAND: Balshaw; Sackey, Noon, Allen, Cohen; Hodgson, Perry; Freshwater, Chuter, White; Grewcock, Kay; Corry (capt), Moody, Sanderson. Replacements: Mears, Turner, Palmer, Lund, Richards, Flood, Lewsey.

Scotland: Beattie, Dewey win caps

Johnnie Beattie and Rob Dewey are set to make international debuts in Scotland's opening November Test, against Romania.

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

Outhalf 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.

Scotland head coach Frank Hadden said: "There were a number of players I was particularly keen to see playing at this level - Godman, Dewey, Beattie, Euan Murray and Hamilton - and on that basis I've looked at the balance of the rest of the side and how best these players can be accommodated.

"That said, what this match is about is building on the progress we made last season and fielding a winning . . . team."

Meanwhile, back-row forward Allister Hogg has been ruled out of action for at least 12 weeks with medial-ligament damage to his right knee (incurred against Cardiff Blues last Friday) and will therefore miss this month's Tests at Murrayfield.

SCOTLAND: Southwell; Webster, Di Rollo, Dewey, Lamont; Godman, Blair; Kerr, Hall, Murray; Hines, Murray; White (capt), Beattie, Brown. Replacements: Lawson, Jacobsen, Smith, Hamilton, Callam, Cusiter, Paterson.

European Cup: Dispute nears end

Premier Rugby and the English Rugby Union are to meet next week amid hopes of a breakthrough in the dispute that has seen the English clubs contemplate pulling out of the Heineken European Cup at the end of the season.

The English union this week refused to back Premier Rugby's proposal to shake up the way the European Cup was run, but the governing body said it might reconsider if the clubs agreed to changes in the elite-player scheme regarding training days, appearances and rest periods.

With the board of European Rugby Club due to meet two weeks today, time is running out, and the chief executive of Premier Rugby, Mark McCafferty, said the clubs were ready to discuss the European Cup and the elite player scheme as a package. The English RFU chairman, Martyn Thomas, said: "We would welcome a discussion with Premier Rugby about the two issues. What we are not prepared to do is make concessions over the Heineken Cup without having anything in return."