Delon Armitage gets dream England call up

Published Nov 7, 2016

Last updated Sep 8, 2011

Rugby bad-boy Delon Armitage completed an astonishing turnaround in fortunes today as he was named in England's side for their World Cup opener with Argentina.

Armitage – who was banned for England's Six Nations campaign after pushing a doping official on New Year's Day – will replace wing Mark Cueto for Saturday's clash.

And although Cueto could have played in an emergency, Armitage, who is predominately a full-back, gets the nod to come in on the left wing.

"Mark's had a little bit of back trouble before but he could have played against Argentina," said England boss Martin Johnson.

"There's a grey area between fit and injured in where most players sit all of the time. He trained fully all week but he's not quite where he needs to be – but the good thing for us is Delon is playing very well.

"It's quite a simple decision. Delon been around for a few years now, we know when he is in form he is a Test match player. We've no qualms about picking him in any of the back three positions."

[24link]