England's preparations for tomorrow's meeting with the New Zealand Barbarians at Twickenham were further hampered yesterday when the Leeds hooker Mark Regan became their latest casualty.

Regan misses the game with a foot injury, giving an opportunity to Sale's Andy Titterrell. Regan had stepped into the starting line-up only two days earlier when Steve Thompson withdrew through injury. Andy Long, now at Rotherham and capped in Clive Woodward's first match as coach against Australia six years ago, comes out of the international cold and joins the replacements.

The match, that was to have been a celebration of England's World Cup victory, is becoming anything but a festive occasion with the Zurich Premiership clubs unhappy at losing players on a weekend when they all have games. Northampton and Leicester, who meet at Franklin's Gardens tomorrow, were the two clubs to vote against the fixture and Dean Richards, the Tigers' director of rugby, has launched a withering attack on the game.