Brad Shields is in line to make his England debut against South Africa in the after being sensationally fast-tracked into the squad for the opening Test in Johannesburg on Saturday after Joe Launchbury was ruled out of the match with a calf injury.

Shields, the 27 year-old New Zealand-born flanker who qualifies for England via his English parents, only met his new team-mates for the first time on Sunday after arriving from a flight from New Zealand.

He is named on the bench as cover for the second row, with 20 year-old Saracens forward Nick Isiekwe, who has yet to start a Test for England and has just two appearances from the bench, named in the starting side as Launchbury’s replacement.

Shields was not even allowed to train with the squad on Monday as he had to undergo jetlag protocol after flying 7,655 miles from Wellington to Durban and has spent the week attempting to get up to speed with England’s game plan and calls.

Shields, who helped the Hurricanes to a Super Rugby title in 2016 and led the side to a draw against the British and Irish Lions last June, took part in his first training session on Tuesday.