Focus back on rugby for England against Georgia

England will hope attention is back on their rugby when they face Georgia in their World Cup clash at the Otago Stadium on Sunday. Martin Johnson's men recorded a gruelling, come-from-behind, 13-9 victory over Argentina in their Pool B opener in Dunedin last Saturday and face another physical encounter against a Georgia side renowned for their forward strength. But England's build-up to the match was overshadowed by the fall-out from their night out in a bar last Sunday where veteran centre Mike Tindall, who recently married Zara Phillips, the granddaughter of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, was seen flirting with an unidentified blonde. Tindall, a member of the 2003 World Cup-winning side captained by Johnson, found himself making unwanted headlines on both sides of the equator. The Gloucester midfielder, England's captain last week, was left out of the side in one of nine changes made to the team that beat Argentina, although Johnson stressed Tindall's omission had nothing to do with the night out. England manager Johnson added the fall-out could yet strengthen his side's team spirit and Georgia coach Richie Dixon agreed, saying: "I think Martin called it right, these things can bring teams together. "We expect England to be as strong as they always are." England captain Lewis Moody, who missed the Argentina match with knee ligament damage, is set to return to a back-row that will feature World Cup debutant Tom Wood. "It's good to have Lewis back," Johnson said. Johnson, himself a former lock, selected a new second row combination of Simon Shaw and Tom Palmer, the pair replacing Courtney Lawes, suspended for two matches for kneeing Argentina's Mario Ledesma, and Louis Deacon. "Courtney is out for a couple of weeks, but we'd have played the other two locks anyway," explained Johnson. Meanwhile in the front row, Matt Stevens, a replacement against Argentina for Andrew Sheridan, whose World Cup has since been ended by a shoulder injury, started at loosehead prop with Dylan Hartley taking over from 2003 World Cup-winner Steve Thompson at hooker. In the backs, former New Zealand rugby league international Shontayne Hape came in for Tindall, England's captain against Argentina. Toby Flood replaced Jonny Wilkinson, who missed five of his eight goalkicks last week at fly-half. Flood's Leicester team-mate Ben Youngs, who came off the bench to score the only try of the Pumas match, was alongside him at scrum-half. Georgia made just two changes to the side that lost 15-6 to Dixon's native Scotland on Wednesday. Ilia Zedginidze replaced lock Levan Datunashvili and David Kubriashvili went from the bench to tighthead prop in place of David Zirakashvili. Four of Georgia's starters played in their only previous match against England, an 84-6 thrashing at the 2003 World Cup in Perth. But no-one in the England camp was expecting a repeat of that scoreline, with Wood saying: "The gap is closing between the top and the bottom teams." And former Scotland coach Dixon added: "There's a lot more to this team we are able to show."