England vs South Africa: Brad Shields settling in well as Eddie Jones launches him straight into match-day squad

It took less than four days for Kiwi flanker Brad Shields to convince England of his commitment to the cause.

Shields will make his Test debut off the bench in Saturday's series opener against South Africa at Ellis Park after the calf injury sustained by Joe Launchbury created a vacancy in Eddie Jones' match-day squad.

The 27-year-old Hurricanes captain, who joins Wasps at the end of the current Super Rugby season, qualifies for England through his parents but his selection remains contentious because he has yet to play in the Aviva Premiership.

Joining his new team-mates for the first time last Sunday having flown 7,655 miles from Wellington to Durban, he was given the next 48 hours to recover from jet lag before taking part in training.

Over four sessions Jones had seen enough of the New Zealand Under-20 international to be convinced he is ready to provide back row and lock cover – and that his desire to represent England is “genuine”.

“Brad was undoubtedly nervous about coming into the squad and fitting in,” said Jones, who claims the player has nothing to prove to the All Blacks. “It's difficult when you come to a different team, particularly when you have been playing your domestic rugby in another country.

“But he has fitted in extremely well and everyone knows he is genuine about wanting to play for England. The transition for him has been very good. He has been so impressive in learning information, gelling with and adding to the squad. He's very serious and driven.”

Shields' rapid elevation into English ranks has met some opposition and among the critics is Agustin Pichot, the World Rugby vice-chairman and respected former Argentina captain who has campaigned for stricter rules to govern international eligibility.

Pichot responded to a photo of Shields in the colours of his new Test paymasters by claiming the “game is losing something”, but Jones would only say in response “I’ve got a great comment I could use but I probably won’t”.

As England's head coach has revealed, even a hardened Kiwi back row can find entering a new environment daunting but there were vaguely familiar faces ready to greet the player who led the Hurricanes to a 31-31 draw against the British and Irish Lions last summer.

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Owen Farrell, George Ford, Mako Vunipola, Joe Launchbury and Dan Robson were all present in the Under-20s side toppled by their New Zealand counterparts in the 2011 World Junior Championships.

“Brad actually said to me 'were you part of that 2011 team?' and I said 'yeah, yeah'. We were just checking whether we did actually play against each other because it’s a long time ago now,” Ford said. “It’s mind-blowing in a way that he’s been able to pick everything up that quickly. He seems to be a no-nonsense guy who works as hard as he can and he’s really physical, so he’ll be a great addition for us.”

Apart from Shields' presence on the bench, the other talking points were provided by Henry Slade taking outside centre, Elliot Daly's selection at full-back with Mike Brown on the wing and Tom Curry given the nod at openside.

Curry won his solitary cap in Argentina a year ago but Jones believes the 19-year-old could be the type of foraging seven he has been seeking.

“Tom is the real deal. A lot of players didn’t know him. The Lions boys hadn’t had an opportunity to train or play with him,” Jones said. “He’s been injured most of the season so he’s a bit of an unknown, but the general comment from the senior players is: this kid could be the real thing. They have to be the biggest pest - that’s the seven’s role.”