Australia outhalf Stephen Larkham's brilliant international career could be prematurely cut short amid growing fears his latest knee injury will rule him out of the rest of the World Cup.
The 33-year-old had already been planning to retire from international rugby after the tournament but is in real danger of making an earlier exit after undergoing two knee operations in the space of eight days.
Larkham has already been ruled out of Australia's last pool match against Canada tomorrow and next week's quarter-final against England or Tonga and the coaching staff harbour fears he may not make it back at all.
"We'll know a little bit more early next week, but very much there's a chance that he may not play in the tournament again," assistant coach Michael Foley said yesterday.
Larkham is one of Australia's greatest ever players. He has earned 102 caps since his Test debut in 1996 and is playing in his third World Cup.
He was a key member of the Wallabies team that won the title in 1999, kicking the decisive drop goal in the semi-final win over South Africa, and was on the losing side in the 2003 final.
Larkham has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons and suffered a knee injury on the eve of Australia's second pool match against Wales that initially seemed little more than a minor problem.
