Jonny Wilkinson is a major doubt for England’s meetings with Australia, New Zealand and South Africa next month after suffering suspected knee ligament damage on duty for his club Newcastle.
The injury curse that has blighted his career since the 2003 World Cup struck again on Tuesday evening when the England flyhalf was carried off during Newcastle’s English Premiership defeat at Gloucester.
The 29-year-old, who hardly played between the 2003 and last year’s World Cups, only returned from a six-month lay-off in last month following shoulder surgery.
The latest injury came after 25 minutes after he twisted his knee at a ruck that had formed following one of his trademark tackles on Gloucester’s Olly Morgan.
Newcastle rugby director Steve Bates said: “It looks like it is something to do with his left knee.”
“It looks like it is some sort of ligament damage, but we will have to see how it settles down in the next couple of days,” Bates said.
England are due to begin next month’s Test series against the Pacific Islanders in just over five weeks time before facing all three Tri-Nations sides on successive weekends.
With Wilkinson having departed after 25 minutes, Newcastle went down to a 39-23 defeat in which Gloucester wing Iain Balshaw claimed a hat-trick of tries.
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