Rugby World Cup countdownEngland remain hopeful that Jonny Wilkinson will be fit for next week's crunch encounter with South Africa despite his injury jinx returning to rule him out of the team's opening Rugby World Cup pool game against the US in Lens on Saturday.
Barely 35 minutes of England's first training run in France had elapsed when the outhalf fell awkwardly during a defence session and twisted his right ankle. According to the assistant coach Mike Ford, the joint was "swollen but not badly so" and the results of a scan will be known today. Team-mates insisted he was less seriously hurt than initially feared. "He got back on his feet pretty quickly and he's pretty positive about it," said Lawrence Dallaglio, named as England's starting number eight.
But the timing of yesterday's cruel twist could scarcely have been less opportune, especially as Wilkinson was starting to believe his fortunes were changing after neck, shoulder, bicep, knee, appendix, groin, kidney, rib and hamstring problems in the past four years. All he was trying to do, according to onlookers, was avoid his team-mate Steve Borthwick during rucking practice.
"Jonny jumped out of the way and rolled his ankle," sighed Ford. "There was no contact at all. It's just bad luck."
The vacancy at number 10 will be filled by Bath's Olly Barkley, who had been destined to sit on the replacements' bench. The lack of depth in goalkicking resources after Toby Flood's omission from the 30-man squad is such that, should anything happen to Barkley, the only remaining kicker in the squad is Andy Farrell, who has yet to register a point for England - he was a proven left-foot marksman in rugby league but has never been required to kick a 50-metre penalty from wide out to win a union Test.
The dent to English morale will be considerable should Wilkinson, who has scored 915 points in 60 Tests, be ruled out of the Springbok clash a week on Friday. He endured a disappointing evening on his last outing, against France in Marseille last month, but remains a crucial presence within the squad.
"If it rules him out of next weekend that will obviously be a blow," said Dallaglio.
The head coach, Brian Ashton, said he and his outhalf were "philosophical" at the latest mishap.
The rest of Ashton's squad is much as expected. Dallaglio, who played every minute of England's triumphant 2003 campaign, is back where he was when he retired from the international game in 2004, in a back row that features Wasps teammates Joe Worsley and Tom Rees.
It has been clear England view Dallaglio as someone capable of making a power-packed South Africa think twice, though Ashton may yet make the odd change elsewhere for the Bok showdown.
ENGLAND (v USA, Lens, Saturday): M Cueto (Sale); J Lewsey (Wasps), J Noon (Newcastle), M Catt (London Irish), J Robinson (unattached); O Barkley (Bath), S Perry (Bristol); A Sheridan (Sale), M Regan (Bristol) P Vickery (Wasps, capt); S Shaw (Wasps), B Kay (Leicester); J Worsley (Wasps), T Rees (Wasps), L Dallaglio (Wasps). Replacements: G Chuter (Leicester), M Stevens (Bath), M Corry (Leicester), L Moody (Leicester), P Richards (London Irish), A Farrell (Saracens), M Tait (Newcastle).
