England have suffered another dent to their best-laid scrummaging plans following the withdrawal of Andrew Sheridan from tomorrow's Test against South Africa. A neck injury has failed to respond to treatment, forcing the management to rest the Sale prop as a precaution and promote Wasps' Tim Payne to the front row with Matt Stevens remaining on the bench.

It represents an unexpected chance for the 29-year-old Payne, who last featured on the summer tour to New Zealand and has been in less than eye-catching form. Rather than ask Phil Vickery or Matt Stevens to fill the loosehead void, however, Martin Johnson has opted to elevate an eighth Wasps player to the XV, uncomfortably aware the England scrum was outwitted by the Wallabies last week.

This is not the first time Sheridan has been sidelined in the build-up to a major Test, the mild-mannered giant having suffered a succession of untimely mishaps ranging from a gashed eye to an insect bite. On this occasion there was an unnecessary degree of farce involved. Barely two hours earlier three coaches and the captain, Steve Borthwick, denied Sheridan was struggling, with Borthwick even claiming not to have noticed whether the 19-stone prop had participated in morning training or not. As he packs down immediately behind Sheridan, only two conclusions were possible: either the captain urgently needed a guide dog or England were being economical with the actualité. As it turned out, one or two white lies were circulating and Borthwick did not require a white stick after all. England can only pray their forwards are on better form than the RFU communications team

Amid all this amateurish subterfuge South Africa were also reorganising their front row, with Jannie du Plessis coming in at tighthead and John Smit reverting to hooker, while the presence of the powerful Danie Rossouw - who starts in place of Juan Smith - in the back row makes it even more certain the Springboks will pose a significant physical threat. The world champions are nothing if not direct and England cannot afford any lapses of concentration.

What is also clear is that several England players are nursing bumps and bruises, with two more heavy-duty Tests to come. The scrum coach, Graham Rowntree, reckoned it used to take him three days to recover sufficiently to resume full training and he believes the game is now harder. Rowntree also acknowledged it has been an uneasy few days for England's scrummagers. "I'm very concerned. We've had a good hard look at ourselves as a front row. It's a collective effort and it's not down to one individual. The guys have been very honest . . . we're not dodging away from the fact that two of those scrums were embarrassing. If it happens this weekend, I'll be very disappointed again."

Instead England are hoping the loss of Sheridan's power will be offset by a more familiar referee in Wales's Nigel Owens and the fact that, statistically, there are fewer reset scrums when they play South Africa. Against Australia England were awarded five penalties from their seven put-ins but were denied, by the South African referee Marius Jonker, the quick set-piece ball they had trained to utilise. The attack coach, Brian Smith, wants to encourage a more flexible mind-set. "Within a game you need to be able to play two ways. We don't want to be predictable, we want to be a team that challenges opposition defences. We're not perfect but I think we've got foundations to build on."

Yet to listen to the forwards coach, John Wells - "I'd rather struggle and win a game than look pretty and lose it" - was to wonder if this England team still has a split personality. There is also no question that South Africa will examine the Danny Cipriani-Riki Flutey midfield axis, probing relentlessly for any defensive weaknesses they can find. Smith, for his part, reckons Cipriani will cope. "He's got a tough job to make those outside shoulder tackles but so does every other 10 in the world. Danny's a bloody talented player."

There was also firm backing from Wells for Borthwick, who could do with a win to underline his credentials. "Steve's leading this group tremendously well," Wells said. "There are a lot of young players and he's one of the senior heads. He's a complete and utter professional on and off the pitch and we need him to drive this team forward." Borthwick is equally unfazed by the levels of public scrutiny. "It comes with the job. I've got full confidence in my ability as a rugby player and as a captain."

Meanwhile, Jonny Wilkinson has admitted he is no longer motivated by the thought of a return to the England team. The World Cup-winning fly-half revealed earlier this year that he had found inner peace through Buddhism, and he claims that his new spiritual outlook has made him reassess his career goals. The 29-year-old was ruled out of the autumn internationals with a dislocated knee.

"If I wanted to play for England I could maybe get back in there like I did before, and I could hang in there for a bit and not really enjoy myself," he said. "Or I can have a fantastic time, with whichever team I'm with, trying to help them get better."

Smith flies home

The South Africa flanker Juan Smith has flown home with concussion and another Springbok World Cup veteran, CJ van der Linde, has been put on standby for the match against England at Twickenham tomorrow.

The tight-head prop currently plays with Leinster but will fly to London if the replacement front row, Brian Mujati, fails to pass a fitness test today.

Ireland have recalled Geordan Murphy and hooker Jerry Flannery for tomorrow's game against Argentina at Croke Park.

Murphy returns at full-back with Girvan Dempsey dropping out of the squad altogether following last weekend's defeat by New Zealand.

Mike Averis