In today's Oz: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...-again-this-year/story-e6frg7o6-1226391584897
WALLABIES captain James Horwill will consult a Melbourne specialist tomorrow about his injured hamstring but has ruled out playing again for the Queensland Reds this season and admits he may not play again before next year.
It appeared last week that surgery had been ruled out as a way of repairing the hamstring he hyperextended when a ruck collapsed on top of him in the Reds' crucial win over the Brumbies on May 26 but Horwill said yesterday that option was back on the table. "We're still discussing the best course of action but hopefully I'll have a clearer idea after getting another opinion from this Melbourne specialist on hamstrings," Horwill said. "I can't see myself playing for the Reds again this year which is a shame because we have three pretty important games to play to get into the Super Rugby finals. I'm told the length of the recovery time in these types of cases is very much dependent on the individual but most people are advising me it will be three to six months. At this stage we're hoping there is no need for surgery but the main issue is to just get it right."
Horwill has his fingers crossed that he will miss only the early rounds of the Rugby Championship, the old Tri-Nations expanded this year to include Argentina. The tournament opens on August 18 with a Test against the All Blacks in Sydney and runs until October 8 when Australia plays the Pumas in Rosario. "The worst-case scenario is that I'm out for the rest of the year. I'd like to play as early as I can but if it's no good I've just got to spend the time getting it right."
Horwill's grim prognosis makes it imperative that Wallabies coach Robbie Deans takes veteran lock Nathan Sharpe aside for a chat probably both of them were hoping to avoid. Sharpe, 33, intends to make his farewell professional rugby appearance in Christchurch on July 14 when the Western Force plays its final Super Rugby match against the Crusaders and that remains his plan. He made himself available for the three-Test series against Wales to help tide the Wallabies over but he has hinted that should Deans need him to defer his retirement until the end of the Rugby Championship, he would seriously consider any request. Sharpe may no longer be quite as dynamic as he once was but the 103-Test veteran delivers a bankable performance every time he plays and his contribution to Australia's 27-19 victory over Wales in Brisbane was considerable. Although Australia has some brilliant young locks on the rise, Deans surely would be hoping to avoid going in against the All Blacks, Springboks and Pumas with only young locks Rob Simmons, Sitaleki Timani, and uncapped Rebels pair Cadeyrn Neville and Hugh Pyle to call upon.
The other factor Deans will need to weigh up is that the longer Horwill remains on the sideline, the more difficult it will be realistically for him to return to the Wallabies captaincy if David Pocock continues to lead the side as dynamically as he did in Brisbane. Pocock yesterday brushed aside the question of whether he had any immediate designs on taking on the job permanently, not just as caretaker. "I'm enjoying it at the moment, but nothing's changed," Pocock said. "James Horwill is captain of the Wallabies and I'm standing in for him while he's injured."
Tighthead Sekope Kepu remained with the Wallabies in Melbourne yesterday, suggesting his hand injury may not be as serious as first feared, while Kurtley Beale took part in what was a glorified fitness run for the non-starters in Brisbane. His prospects of returning to the Test side, probably via the bench, on Saturday hinge on the outcome of the investigation into the incident involving him and Quade Cooper at the Victory Hotel in Brisbane last Friday.
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WALLABIES captain James Horwill will consult a Melbourne specialist tomorrow about his injured hamstring but has ruled out playing again for the Queensland Reds this season and admits he may not play again before next year.
It appeared last week that surgery had been ruled out as a way of repairing the hamstring he hyperextended when a ruck collapsed on top of him in the Reds' crucial win over the Brumbies on May 26 but Horwill said yesterday that option was back on the table. "We're still discussing the best course of action but hopefully I'll have a clearer idea after getting another opinion from this Melbourne specialist on hamstrings," Horwill said. "I can't see myself playing for the Reds again this year which is a shame because we have three pretty important games to play to get into the Super Rugby finals. I'm told the length of the recovery time in these types of cases is very much dependent on the individual but most people are advising me it will be three to six months. At this stage we're hoping there is no need for surgery but the main issue is to just get it right."
Horwill has his fingers crossed that he will miss only the early rounds of the Rugby Championship, the old Tri-Nations expanded this year to include Argentina. The tournament opens on August 18 with a Test against the All Blacks in Sydney and runs until October 8 when Australia plays the Pumas in Rosario. "The worst-case scenario is that I'm out for the rest of the year. I'd like to play as early as I can but if it's no good I've just got to spend the time getting it right."
Horwill's grim prognosis makes it imperative that Wallabies coach Robbie Deans takes veteran lock Nathan Sharpe aside for a chat probably both of them were hoping to avoid. Sharpe, 33, intends to make his farewell professional rugby appearance in Christchurch on July 14 when the Western Force plays its final Super Rugby match against the Crusaders and that remains his plan. He made himself available for the three-Test series against Wales to help tide the Wallabies over but he has hinted that should Deans need him to defer his retirement until the end of the Rugby Championship, he would seriously consider any request. Sharpe may no longer be quite as dynamic as he once was but the 103-Test veteran delivers a bankable performance every time he plays and his contribution to Australia's 27-19 victory over Wales in Brisbane was considerable. Although Australia has some brilliant young locks on the rise, Deans surely would be hoping to avoid going in against the All Blacks, Springboks and Pumas with only young locks Rob Simmons, Sitaleki Timani, and uncapped Rebels pair Cadeyrn Neville and Hugh Pyle to call upon.
The other factor Deans will need to weigh up is that the longer Horwill remains on the sideline, the more difficult it will be realistically for him to return to the Wallabies captaincy if David Pocock continues to lead the side as dynamically as he did in Brisbane. Pocock yesterday brushed aside the question of whether he had any immediate designs on taking on the job permanently, not just as caretaker. "I'm enjoying it at the moment, but nothing's changed," Pocock said. "James Horwill is captain of the Wallabies and I'm standing in for him while he's injured."
Tighthead Sekope Kepu remained with the Wallabies in Melbourne yesterday, suggesting his hand injury may not be as serious as first feared, while Kurtley Beale took part in what was a glorified fitness run for the non-starters in Brisbane. His prospects of returning to the Test side, probably via the bench, on Saturday hinge on the outcome of the investigation into the incident involving him and Quade Cooper at the Victory Hotel in Brisbane last Friday.
FFFFAAAARRRRKKKKK!
