Cumbrian star Jamie Blamire has been tipped to rise to the occasion as his fairytale England career continues with a start against South Africa this weekend.

The Seaton hooker has scored six tries in his first four Tests.

And he has now been named in the XV to face the world champions at Twickenham on Saturday in the absence to injury of first-choice hooker Jamie George.

Newcastle Falcons man Blamire came off the bench to score in last weekend’s victory over Australia.

That followed tries against Tonga, Canada and the USA at the outset of his international career.

Forwards coach Matt Proudfoot, speaking ahead of Saturday's test against the Springboks, believes Blamire has a big future and has already shown his mettle on the big stage.

He said: “It’s about what is inside the man, that’s what we look for firstly. In Jamie we identified a strong character and someone who has a lot of personal fight.

“When he came into camp in the summer we chucked him into what we call the Fight Club – where the front row do a lot of extra work – and the way he ripped in was really promising.

“It showed a lot about what is inside the man. We know he has got a big future ahead of him and we’ve invested in him.”

Former Seaton Rangers player Blamire’s England impact comes despite the fact he is yet to start a game for his club this season.

Proudfoot, though, says the 23-year-old is made of the right stuff.

“You can go back in history and look at every great player – the first time they got the opportunity, the narrative would have been, ‘Is he ready? Isn’t he ready?’,” added Proudfoot, speaking in the Mirror.

“Jamie will improve over the years, he’ll improve his technique – he’ll get better at what he does. But I’ve a lot of confidence in any of the front-rowers we’re going to pick to put that white jersey on.”