Gloucester have been distinctly short of good news this season, so the call-up of one of their players by England will act as balm to the soul. Not that Paul Doran-Jones, when he moved to Kingsholm from London Welsh in the summer, will have expected to cross the national squad’s radar so soon.

Yet Martin Johnson is so short of props that the Enfield-born Doran-Jones, who played under-19 and under-21 rugby for Ireland while at university in Dublin, has been summoned to Bagshot, Surrey, to join preparations for Saturday’s Investec Challenge Series match against Argentina at Twickenham. The fairytale may end if David Wilson recovers from damage to his neck and shoulder suffered during the defeat by Australia last weekend but there is sufficient concern for the Bath tight-head to summon emergency cover.

Johnson, the England team manager, has postponed today’s scheduled team announcement by 24 hours to give Wilson more time. He was forced off the field after 58 minutes but is said to be progressing well after treatment. Considering the number of props unavailable to him, though, Johnson will not leave himself short. He has already been deprived by injury of Andrew Sheridan, Phil Vickery, Julian White, Jason Hobson and Matt Mullan; Dan Cole and Nick Wood have also struggled with injuries this season, Tom Mercey has not had enough game time at Saracens and Matt Stevens is suspended.

Wilson did well enough on his first appearance at Twickenham to deserve another chance and, if he fails to pass a fitness test, Duncan Bell will be given his fourth cap and his second start. In that case Doran-Jones, 24, is suddenly within spitting distance of a cap after a mere 266 minutes of Guinness Premiership rugby. At 6ft 2in and 18st 3lb, he has the required physique and he spent time as a youngster in New Zealand with King Country (just like Johnson) but his senior experience comprises no more than five starts for Gloucester.

Nor are Argentina, with their gnarled old campaigners in the front row like Mario Ledesma and Martin Scelzo, necessarily the opponents against whom to throw in a newcomer. On the other hand, given the alacrity with which a youthful Leicester pack attacked South Africa’s forwards on Friday and saw off a complete international front row — Gurthrö Steenkamp, Chiliboy Ralepelle and Jannie du Plessis have been invalided out of the Springboks’ European tour — perhaps youth is the way to go.

Johnson would have been delighted that his former club beat one of the Sanzar countries last week while England and Wales stumbled against Australia and New Zealand respectively. But he would have been mortified that Leicester were able to do, in the set-pieces and the breakdown, what England could not against the Wallabies; the comparisons do not make happy reading and, coincidence or not, the Leicester forwards have been working at the breakdown with Ben Herring, the club’s former flanker who has joined the coaching staff.

“I can’t take a lot of credit, the attitude these guys brought to the game was second to none,” said Herring, who played for Wellington against the Lions in his native New Zealand four years ago before joining Leicester as a player. But Richard Cockerill, the Leicester head coach, emphasised the work by Herring that resulted in youngsters such as Ben Pienaar and Calum Green rucking like old-style New Zealand forwards in the loose and forcing ten turnovers in general play against a pack of whom five had been capped for South Africa.

England, in contrast, were utterly bogged down against Australia and failed to produce the quick ball on which their backs might have thrived. Johnson must consider whether Ben Foden should play at full back and Paul Hodgson at scrum half but his back division will not matter unless his forwards can perform more effectively. James Haskell did enough from the bench to earn consideration as a starting No 8 and Courtney Lawes, the young Northampton lock, caught the eye in the final quarter.

Argentina have called up Horacio Alberto San Martín, the centre, from their second string, the Jaguars, who are also touring Europe. He will replace Gonzalo Camacho, of Harlequins, but they are optimistic that Lucas Amorosino, the Leicester wing who injured a calf playing against Leeds Carnegie on Sunday, will recover in time to play a part in their tour.

Tale of the turnover

• Leicester v South Africa XV

Leicester’s young pack forced ten turnovers in general play They turned over one South African scrum They earned penalties at two South African scrums Took four South African lineouts

England v Australia

England forced ten turnovers in general play — but they also conceded ten They lost one scrum They lost one lineout but took three Australia throws