England call on Tank Engine

England have been forced into making a late change for the second test against the Springboks, with Thomas Waldrom drafted in to replace Phil Dowson.

Dowson was originally named on the bench for the clash, but is suffering from a tight hamstring sustained in training on Thursday. After medical assessment it was decided to withdraw him from the match 22, with Waldrom taking over as loose forward cover.

The 29-year-old was the man-of-the-match against the South Africa Southern Barbarians in Kimberley in midweek, and could earn his first Test cap come Saturday.

Affectionately dubbed Thomas the Tank Engine for his robust play, the Kiwi-born Leicester Tigers ace discovered he was eligible to play for England through a grandparent after moving abroad.

The former Crusaders No.8 has had to wait for some time for a call-up after teetering on the fringes of the England set-up for the last year.

England (revised): 15 Ben Foden, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Manusamoa Tuilagi, 11 David Strettle, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (captain), 6 Tom Johnson, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Mouritz Botha, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.

Replacements: 16 Lee Mears, 17 Alex Corbisiero, 18 Tom Palmer, 19 Thomas Waldrom, 20 Lee Dickson, 21 Owen Farrell, 22 Alex Goode.

Date: Saturday, June 16

Venue: Coca Cola Park, Johannesburg

Kick-off: 17.05 (15.05 GMT)

Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)

Assistant referees: Steve Walsh (Australia), Simon McDowell (Ireland)

TMO: Iain Ramage (Scotland)