Paul Wallace has been advised to rest his troublesome ankle until January. The 30-year-old Leinster, Irish and Lions tight-head prop maintains that rumours of his demise are premature and is hopeful rest will be the cure for an injury which dates back to a European Cup game for Saracens against Ulster at Ravenhill two seasons ago when he broke and dislocated his left ankle.

Nevertheless, these must be worrying times for the 45-times capped Wallace, who was forced to hobble off early on in Friday's friendly between Leinster and the Scottish Borders at Donnybrook when attempting a comeback after being ruled out of Ireland's three-Test November programme.

Meanwhile, Dinamo Bucharest centre Mihai Rovariu has failed a second test for the banned drug nandrolone, the team's doctor said yesterday. Rovariu first tested positive for the steroid after a European Cup match against Saracens in Bucharest in October, the first case of its kind in Romanian rugby.

"Rovariu took the drug of his own will in order to cure an endocrine illness," club doctor Dan Tanase said.

Under the Romanian Rugby Union Federation's rules, Rovariu faces a two-year playing ban.

Jonny Wilkinson has been voted personality of the year by the Rugby Union Writers' Club. Wilkinson becomes only the fifth Englishman to win the Pat Marshall Memorial Award since its inception in 1975, after Martin Johnson, Lawrence Dallaglio, Ben Clarke and Bill Beaumont.

The 23-year-old Newcastle captain has amassed almost 600 points from just 38 Test match appearances, producing outstanding recent displays when England toppled Tri-Nations title-holders New Zealand and world champions Australia on successive weekends.