Danny Care has been passed fit for England in Saturday’s second Test against New Zealand. The Harlequins scrum-half suffered a freak shoulder injury in training last week and had to withdraw from the first Test but he is now in line to replace Leicester’s Ben Youngs in Dunedin.

Stuart Lancaster is due to announce his starting line-up late on Wednesday with a number of Six Nations regulars set to bolster the side beaten 20-15 at Eden Park. There are expected to be half a dozen changes, with Care and Owen Farrell poised to resume their half-back partnership in place of Youngs, whose mistake set up the All Blacks for their winning try on Saturday, and Freddie Burns.

“I played in the Six Nations for the first time with Danny and loved it,” Farrell said. “He’s obviously a world-class player and someone who can take any opportunity that comes.

“Not only that but he can make something out of nothing. To be able to play off the back of that is huge. Danny’s a brilliant player.”

Care’s misfortune initially caused his colleagues much amusement after he mistimed an attempted grubber kick in training and fell over backwards on to his shoulder. They were more sympathetic after he was ruled out of the first Test but his Harlequins team-mate Joe Marler has confirmed the scrum-half is now fine. “His shoulder is good,” reported Marler.

“He says it’s back to where it was before he missed a kick and fell over on it. It was gutting that something as minor as that could make him miss the first Test. But he’s back fit now and available for selection.”

England have only ever won two Tests in New Zealand, in 1973 and 2003, but remain intent on doubling that tally this month. “We have to win this weekend to take it down to the last Test,” stressed Marler. “We’re confident that if we fine-tune a few things we can push the All Blacks even closer.”