Glandular fever puts Simpson-Daniel's career on hold

James Simpson-Daniel, the 20-year-old Gloucester wing considered by many good judges to be the most exciting threequarter to emerge in England since Jeremy Guscott first blazed a red rose trail in 1989, is out of this weekend's Test against South Africa at Twickenham, and may be absent for a whole lot longer. Simpson-Daniel is suffering from glandular fever, a debilitating virus that could force him into a prolonged spell of inactivity just when his international career was beginning to gather pace.

He was diagnosed by the England medical staff after rejoining the squad at their country club base in Surrey yesterday evening. Remarkably, he may have been suffering from early symptoms at the weekend, when he made major contributions to the two tries his team scored against Australia. Glandular fever can lie dormant for a considerable time before producing ill effects.

Simpson-Daniel has suffered a desperate run of luck over the last seven months. Having turned on the style in England's end-of-season showpiece fixture with the Barbarians – he ran round Jonah Lomu with the natural pizzazz of a born entertainer – he would have been a first-choice member of the Test team that travelled to Argentina in June, but was forced off the tour by injury. He then spent an interminable amount of time on the Gloucester bench before grasping a belated opportunity in the run-up to the match with the All Blacks 10 days ago.

His misfortune means Clive Woodward and the rest of the England hierarchy must examine their back-line options in advance of the Springbok match. Woodward has three obvious alternatives: he could restore Austin Healey, whose own fitness has been a matter of debate, to the right wing as a direct replacement for Simpson-Daniel; he could call up Phil Christophers, the Bristol wing, for his second cap – a move that would involve Ben Cohen, the prolific Northampton finisher, shifting from left flank to right; or he could move Jason Robinson from full-back to wing and give Leicester's Tim Stimpson a deserved run in the No 15 shirt.

The Healey option is probably the simplest and, therefore, the most likely. Whatever the outcome of Woodward's deliberations, Simpson-Daniel will be distraught.