Martin Johnson expects to make a final decision on a replacement for Andrew Sheridan in England's squad after today's match against Romania. Johnson has been picking from 29 players since the loosehead withdrew injured 10 days ago, but is waiting to see how No 8 Nick Easter's back injury progresses before deciding whether to get a direct replacement or bolster another area of the side. Thomas Waldrom is in New Zealand as a potential replacement for Easter, but has not yet been added to the official squad. "We can hedge our bets slightly, let's be frank," Johnson said. "When we had the five props we were a little bit top heavy, but there was always the risk of someone getting hurt and it happened, but it left us in not too bad a position. We'll see where we are after Saturday."
England v Romania: Dunedin, 6pm, today
Pressure on some
Scotland team doctor James Robson says the format of the Rugby World Cup may have to be re-examined to avoid short turnarounds between matches. Robson said yesterday he did not believe matches scheduled as few as four days apart were dangerous, but said they were likely to result in below-par performances. "I think to turn around in international test rugby now, within four days is asking a great deal of the players that we are trying to care for," he said. Robson said Scotland didn't face the same issues as the smaller teams. "It was fine for us to play two games in four days because we had the depth of squad, but for the likes of Namibia, facing Fiji and Samoa in four days, it puts them under huge pressure."
Scotland v Argentina: Wellington, 8.30pm, tomorrow
Deacon spurred by crowd
Fiji captain Deacon Manu said the huge crowd expected at Eden Park tomorrow should spur on both his team and the Samoans. "It's going to be a typical game of Pacific Island rugby, really, it's fantastic it's a sellout, so that adds extra emphasis on it, Manu said. "Whenever we play the Samoans or the Tongans it's always a physical match and there's a lot of big hits. There's a lot of entertaining rugby, but we're obviously there to get the result on the scoreboard." Fiji coach Samu Domoni said wing Michael Tagicakibau was not considered for selection. Tagicakibau's brother Sailosi plays for Samoa. "As much as you want to pick him as a feel-good thing, we are here with a mission to accomplish so we've put our best people on the park."
Fiji v Samoa: Eden Park, 3.30pm, tomorrow
Small changes planned
Italian winger Mirco Bergamasco said his side's match against the USA "will be extremely physical". "They like contact and taking the ball up in the centres. We saw how much they put Ireland in trouble with their strong defence and they are definitely a team we should be wary of," said Bergamasco. "We need to stick to our game plan and then tweak it depending on what is happening during the match." His brother, Mauro, a flanker, said they had to improve on their 53-17 victory over Russia. "We weren't as strong physically as we were in the first match. We made some wrong decisions and could have done more, considering the amount of ball we had. We don't need to make dramatic changes, but small ones that will help us improve."
Italy v USA: Nelson, 7.30pm, Tuesday
