Nick Isiekwe can comfort himself this morning with the knowledge he is not the first and almost certainly won’t be the last England player Eddie Jones hooks from the field before half-time in a Test match.

The 20-year-old Saracens forward, in only his third Test appearance, suffered the ignominy of being replaced by uncapped New Zealander Brad Shields just 36 minutes into an extraordinary first Test as England’s head coach sought to restore some order. Unlike on previous occasions, the ploy failed to work.

Isiekwe looked shocked when the call came to replace him as he paid the price for a collective engine failure from England’s pack, suffering badly in the thin Johannesburg air following a breathless start.

Face of frustration: Nick Isiekwe was replaced after just 36 minutes DAVID ROGERS

It was a typically brutal call from