Eddie ready to try Shields at lock
BRAD SHIELDS is on course for a place in England’s starting XV as Joe Launchbury’s hopes of making the second Test fade. Wasps lock Launchbury was again unable to train with the rest of the squad yesterday. He did his own fitness drills nearby and is running out of time to prove that he has overcome a calf injury before Eddie Jones names his line-up tomorrow morning for Saturday’s clash with South Africa at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein. ‘Joe was training on his own,’ said England scrum coach Neal Hatley. ‘He was moving reasonably well so we’ll see where he is this week.’ Nick Isiekwe started in the second row alongside Maro Itoje last weekend, and even though he was replaced before halftime without an injury, the official line is that he is in contention to be in the starting pack again this week. In reality, the man who took over from him, the New Zealand-born Shields, is more likely to be in the XV, despite not starting at lock at club level for several years. Asked if England are prepared to select Shields — primarily a blindside flanker — out of position, Hatley said: ‘If it comes down to that. He got close to 45 minutes there last week.’ Meanwhile, Jonny May said the England squad held an emergency meeting to address the alarming number of penalties they are conceding. ‘We have spoken about discipline before. In the Six Nations it killed us and it was as bad as ever at the weekend,’ said May. ‘Hopefully we have realised the impact one penalty has on the momentum of a game, let alone back-to-back penalties. You talk about a butterfly effect. One small action can have a huge impact later in the game. It’s on us because it’s not good enough.’ South Africa have been reinforced by ex-Saracens hooker Schalk Brits, who has come out of retirement after an offer from new head coach Rassie Erasmus. The 37-year-old was with the England squad just before going off to join up with the opposition. ‘I was sipping tequilas in Ibiza when I got a text asking if I’d like to play more rugby,’ said Brits. ‘That person said he was Rassie. I thought he was taking the p***. ‘On Sunday I had coffee with the Saracens boys. It was strange, I met them then went straight from there to the airport!’