Fourie left facing an anxious wait

The South Africa-born flanker injured his calf in Leeds's dead rubber of a European Challenge Cup contest with Bucharest Oaks on Sunday and left the field clutching his right leg.

It was the same troublesome calf that forced him home early from last summer's tour to Australia and he underwent assessment by England at their training camp in Portugal yesterday.

Fourie is in line to replace England captain Lewis Moody, who limped out of Bath's Heineken Cup game with a knee injury after which scans showed he had damaged ligaments and would be out for six weeks.

England are set to kick-off their Six Nations campaign against Wales in Cardiff next Friday and the green light from the medical staff would put the adopted Yorkshireman in pole position to launch his bid to wear the No 7 shirt through to the World Cup in New Zealand, which starts in September.

Martin Johnson yesterday drafted in four replacements to his Six Nations squad with flankers Tom Wood and Phil Dowson brought in as cover for Moody and Rees, lock George Skivington for Courtney Lawes and full-back Nick Abendanon for Delon Armitage, who has been banned for eight weeks for pushing an anti-doping official after London Irish's defeat to Bath.

* Rotherham Titans' hectic January fixture list continues tonight when they travel to Nottingham for a televised Championship game.