Tom Wood and Elliot Daly set to start for England against South Africa at Twickenham

Wood has previously been described as 'distinctly average' by coach Eddie Jones.

Tom Wood has been named in the England side to face South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday (12 November). The 30-year-old Northampton Saints star has been selected at flanker by England coach Eddie Jones, who previously described Wood as "distinctly average".

Wood will make his first appearance for the national team in over a year against the Springboks, while Elliot Daly will start his first-ever game for his country, having previously earned five caps off the bench.

Elsewhere, Jones has named a broadly experienced line-up, which will see second-row Courtney Lawes earn his 50th England cap. The 27-year-old – who made his debut against Australia in 2009 - had been considered an injury doubt for the game, but has been passed fit to take the field.

"We've picked a matchday 23 with a blend of experience and youth," Jones explained in a statement. "We've trained well this week and I am pleased with how the players have come together and responded to some of the things we've asked them to do. The boys are focused and ready to go."

England's preparations for the autumn internationals have been blighted by injury problems, with the likes of James Haskell, Maro Itoje and Mike Williams all being ruled out. But Jones believes the upcoming games against South Africa, Fiji, Argentina and Australia will provide opportunities for lesser-known players to stake their claim for future selection.

"We're looking forward to the game," Jones shared. "It's a fantastic opportunity to show how much depth we have in English rugby. With a few influential players not available for selection this is a great opportunity for some of the new faces to put both feet forward and we're backing them to do the job for us."

England: 15. Mike Brown, 14. Marland Yarde, 13. Elliot Daly, 12. Owen Farrell, 11. Jonny May, 10. George Ford, 9. Ben Youngs, 1. Mako Vunipola, 2. Dylan Hartley, 3. Dan Cole, 4. Joe Launchbury, 5. Courtney Lawes, 6. Chris Robshaw, 7. Tom Wood, 8. Billy Vunipola

Replacements: 16. Jamie George, 17. Joe Marler, 18. Kyle Sinckler, 19. Dave Attwood, 20. Nathan Hughes, 21. Danny Care, 22. Ben Te'o, 23. Jonathan Joseph