Fresh injury blow for Wilko
1 Oct 2008
Jonny Wilkinson faces another lengthy spell on the sidelines after dislocating his knee during Newcastle’s Premiership defeat to Gloucester on Tuesday.
The England flyhalf was helped off the field after just 25 minutes when he appeared to twist his knee in a ruck as the Falcons went down 39-23 and it was confirmed by his club on Wednesday that he had suffered a dislocation.
The 29-year-old has endured a terrible run of injuries since 2003 and only returned to action last month after shoulder surgery. This latest set back looks certain to rule Wilkinson out of England’s end-of-year Test series which kicks off in just over five weeks time against the Pacific Islands.
Despite the blow Newcastle’s director of rugby Steve Bates remained optimistic.
“It is obviously disappointing for Jonny to receive an injury just when he was back playing fantastic rugby, but he has enormous strength of character and I am sure he will come back stronger despite this blow,” Bates said on the club’s website.
Ironically the man seen as Wilkinson’s natural successor, Danny Cipriani, is due to make an earlier than expected return from injury on Wednesday when his side Wasps take on Bath.
Cipriani was left out of Martin Johnson’s initial 32-man elite squad after it was anticipated the youngster would only make a return to action around mid-November, but Johnson has the option of moving players up to the elite squad in the case of injury or suspension.
Premier Rugby Ltd chief executive Mark McCafferty confirmed Cipriani could yet win a place in the squad under the exceptional circumstances rule.
“If they want to consider Cipriani, which they may well do, the situation where a player has come back from a long-term injury much sooner than expected is an exceptional circumstance,” McCafferty told the BBC.
32 Comments
1 Oct 2008, 08:16 am
Dragon Pom!
1 Oct 2008, 08:26 am
Nee man Staal,”Injured Dragon”…!!! He should just retire…
1 Oct 2008, 08:33 am
#2 Koos: Ja, dit sou n beter een gewees het!!!!!!
1 Oct 2008, 09:52 am
So the Samson hair isn’t working. Retire man, retire.
1 Oct 2008, 09:53 am
Awesome player but FFS!!
1 Oct 2008, 10:31 am
Who cares? Is this even news?
1 Oct 2008, 10:41 am
Cipriani vs Butch
That is worth watching
1 Oct 2008, 11:21 am
#7 So this is rock bottom:
cipriani has more natural talent then Butch
1 Oct 2008, 11:34 am
#8 greatest13gerber:
Yeah but he’s a softy
1 Oct 2008, 12:11 pm
I didn’t know that he had been out of hospital in the last 10 years!
1 Oct 2008, 12:40 pm
Oohh dear – Biggles will be devastated
1 Oct 2008, 12:50 pm
#7 So this is rock bottom: I agree with Naas Botha…. butch is terrible at the moment and Grant is he future of SA rugby at no 10… see bellow
Legendary Springbok flyhalf Naas Botha is in no doubt about who should be donning the green and gold No.10 jersey for the Springboks on their year-end tour to the United Kingdom and beyond.
Western Province and Springbok No.10 Peter Grant is the man who received a glowing endorsement from the great Blue Bulls and Springbok pivot, with Botha selecting the precocious Grant as his choice for Bok flyhalf.
The Springboks will depart in a month’s time on their November tour to the United Kingdom, where they will play Tests against Wales, Scotland and England.
Botha took stock of the options currently available to Bok coach Peter de Villiers for the flyhalf berth – Grant, Butch James, Francois Steyn, Ruan Pienaar, Lions pivot Earl Rose and Morné Steyn from the Bulls – and came to the conclusion that there aren’t too many clear-cut choices at pivot right now.
“The flyhalf position is a problem and it doesn’t look as if South Africa has many answers,” Botha told Die Burger.
“But we do have Peter Grant.
“I was hoping Morné Steyn would come through, but he doesn’t play consistently well. On Saturday Earl Rose also struggled in an important match.”
Grant has been a big part of Western Province’s resurgence in the Currie Cup. The pivot has contributed strongly since returning from international duty and injury to help the Newlands outfit out of the doldrums and onto the brink of the Currie Cup semifinals.
And Botha believes that the Capetonian can become an even better player.
“He has kicked the ball a long way in the past. He is able to attack and looks good in his channel,” said Botha.
The 24-year-old playmaker suffered a slight knock to his ankle during WP’s win over the Boland Cavaliers on Saturday, but he is expected to be fit for his team’s do-or-die Currie Cup match against the Lions at Newlands on Saturday, with a semifinal spot at stake.
In that clash, Grant could quite possibly come face-to-face with one of his lesser rivals for the Springbok jersey, Lions flyhalf Earl Rose, who has had an up-and-down season punctuated by a nightmare match against the Sharks last weekend.
Furthermore, Botha was critical of regular Springbok flyhalf Butch James, who struggled for form during the recent Tri-Nations tournament, in which South Africa finished in last place.
“Butch James didn’t have a good Tri-Nations series. The little I have seen of him in European rugby also hasn’t looked good to me,” said Botha.
The former Bok great also highlighted the problem of aimless kicking as a recent plight on the Springbok game.
“The ball is kicked straight into the opponents’ hands far too often,” Botha lamented.
The talented Frans Steyn has been used in the No.10 position at times this season by Bok coach De Villiers, but Botha was of the opinion, like many other pundits, that Steyn was better suited to a position elsewhere in the backline.
“They may see it as an opportunity to play Frans in that position in a few games, but to me he looks like a better centre or fullback,” Botha concluded.
1 Oct 2008, 12:53 pm
He has had more injuries that Pretoors, Big Joke and Fourie together.
1 Oct 2008, 12:58 pm
Who Grant? Has only had a minor shoulder injury this year and was out for a week… if you are talking about Wilkenson then yeah i agree haa haa
1 Oct 2008, 13:12 pm
Jonny is among the top 5 best 5/8′s of all time.
In the Amateur days he would have retired years ago.
But in this “Age”, the money is just too good. So they hang in there for all they can get.
.
.
Nothing wrong with that. I’d be the same.
1 Oct 2008, 13:15 pm
#15 cane: The guy is a multi-millionaire. I can assure you, he’s not there for the money otherwise he’d be playing in Toulon with all the NZers like SBW and Jerry Collins.
1 Oct 2008, 13:25 pm
ag shame, sicknote is injured again!!!he willkeep going for maybe another WC or if cipriani doesn’t kick his place out the teamthen he will retire!
1 Oct 2008, 13:39 pm
Wilko’s made of marshmallows not flesh
1 Oct 2008, 13:55 pm
#18 Bully:
That’s just not fair Bully.
And if you are old enough you would know it.
Jonny was as as good a defender as there ever was….as ther ever was…..as there ever was……..as there ever was.
1 Oct 2008, 15:27 pm
thought he might come back, but he’s one of those players whose body seems to just never recover from injuries, that could quite likely be goodnight nurse on england career, definitely lost a yard and this knew injury will do nothing for that.
1 Oct 2008, 15:57 pm
He’ll be back for the 2011 RWC
1 Oct 2008, 21:03 pm
#16 Big Hit: Oh yes he is,because he’s got to many medical bill’s to pay, so thats why he keeps playing **** rugby, and the word I have and its very very reliable is that he will retire after the 2009 season
1 Oct 2008, 21:08 pm
#16 Big Hit: Why is it the kiwi’s, occa’s, and boer’s, have to play in europe? Because the pasty poms, can’t put together a good rugby team if they tried and with all the thousands and thousands rugby players they have on their books, they pick kiwis, aussies, and boers to play for them, go figure!!!!!!!!!!!!
1 Oct 2008, 22:32 pm
#6 pokkel: You just wouldn’t understand!!
#21 Big Hit: We can rebuild him!!
1 Oct 2008, 22:41 pm
#16 Big Hit:
So you are saying that Johnny is a rich pompus.Maybe its all that Caviar that makes him break so easy,not good for the bones i hear.
1 Oct 2008, 23:59 pm
#22 CHAZ: thats why he’s talking about playing well into his 30s and becoming the next Mike Catt is it? catch a grip, stick to netball you know nothing about rugby
2 Oct 2008, 00:15 am
#26 Big Hit: Having played rugby for 35yrs and right up to rep level, I have got more idea about rugby tosspot than you have about life, looser
2 Oct 2008, 00:39 am
#26 Big Hit: Mike Splatt, oh I remember he’s your partner isnt he, the road kill for Lomu, why you pasty poms bother, playing rugby or any sport is beyound most people
2 Oct 2008, 00:42 am
#27 CHAZ: you can’t even spell ‘loser’, like I said, stick to netball
2 Oct 2008, 00:45 am
#28 CHAZ: When did you last win the RWC, we won it in 2003. You have to go all the way back to prehistoric times to find the last Kiwi victory, and its even your no.1 sport. Pitiful.
2 Oct 2008, 00:48 am
#29 Big Hit: Well we happen to spell it like that where I come from, its better that way then lossers like you will get used to the extra o when playing sport, but i suppose you tosser’s a good at one thing , and thats bloody whinging, and going on about places you have never been too, or people you don’t know
2 Oct 2008, 00:54 am
#31 CHAZ: ‘then lossers’? get a spellcheck man. Nobody’s better at whinging than you lot, a whole 7 months about Wayne Barnes but thats ok because you know him personally. Riiiiight.
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