There had to be change after England suffered their worst home defeat against South Africa four days ago. Danny Cipriani's withdrawal from the firing line has taken him only as far as the replacements which tells him that no one perceives him as a scapegoat while Tom Rees, in many ways England's best player of the autumn series, is clearly in need of a break.

The third amendment, in the second row, restores Nick Kennedy who, after a heartening debut against the Pacific Islanders, was distinctly unfortunate to lose his place thereafter. He is also, perhaps, the future whereas the most obvious alternative, Simon Shaw, who won his 50th cap as a replacement last weekend, will be 36 in January and cannot go on indefinitely.

Clearly the removal of Cipriani from the pivotal role of fly half will cause more of a furore than it should. The young London Wasp made a remarkable recovery from a broken ankle but then needed to return steadily to top-flight rugby via his club; the coincidence of his availability and the loss of Jonny Wilkinson yet again to injury was an obvious temptation but Toby Flood, who starts on Saturday, had been playing steadily for his new club, Leicester, and would have been the better option at the start of this month.

No one, least of all Cipriani himself, should doubt his talent but to play his way back to form in the full glare of international rugby should not have been required of him. He will be disappointed to lose his place in the starting XV but he will come again. Rees, his club colleague, will be equally disappointed but consider what he has had to do over the last three weeks: cross swords with Nili Latu, the inspirational captain of Tonga in last year's World Cup, Australia's George Smith and Schalk Burger, South Africa's open-side.

Rees was doubtless looking forward to renewing the acquaintance of Richie McCaw, the All Blacks captain and his opposite number in the summer internationals against New Zealand. But he has been battered black and blue on three successive Saturdays. Not even New Zealand have started McCaw in all their games this month so the preference for Michael Lipman is appropriate.

Lipman has been in good form this season and his club, Bath, have been playing exciting - and winning - rugby which is more than can be said for Wasps. He will see this as a deserved opportunity, knowing that Leicester's Lewis Moody will be back in the mix in the new year.

Injuries to Andrew Sheridan (neck) and Tom Palmer (calf muscle) remove them from the equation, not that Tim Payne deserved to lose his place at loose-head prop after a strong performance against South Africa. Change on the bench, however, suggests that if either Steve Borthwick or Kennedy are injured, then Tom Croft, the Leicester flanker, could see duty in the second row.