England head coach Eddie Jones has claimed that Tom Wood's work rate has earned him a recall to the squad for the upcoming Autumn Internationals.
The Northampton Saints flanker had failed to make any of Jones's training camps after being dropped following England's unsuccessful World Cup campaign in 2015.
With James Haskell, Jack Clifford, Mike Williams, Maro Itoje and Sam Jones all ruled out with injuries, Wood has been given a chance to add to his 42 caps.
When asked by reporters about his previous snub of Wood, Jones joked: "What can I say, he's got stronger with longer hair and a beard. He's like Samson.
"He's done really well. I've been very impressed with his work rate and I've been in contact with him since I named my first ever squad."
England will face South Africa, Fiji, Argentina and Australia in the series.