News

Wilkinson not giving up

December 05 2008

Injury-plagued Jonny Wilkinson believes he will recover from a dislocated knee in time to force his way back into the England side at the Six Nations which gets underway in February.

The England fly-half has suffered a string of serious injuries since his winning kick in the 2003 World Cup final, the latest being a dislocated knee he sustained at the end of September.

The 29-year-old has been out since and will shortly undergo surgery to assess his recovery.

When asked by BBC Radio 5Live if he could return for the Six Nations, Wilkinson was in two minds.

"I'm not sure," he said.

"At the moment I'm still waiting to get on my feet, properly move around (which) should be around January time and after that I'd like to think I could come back.

"I hope so, I'm always positive."

England have endured a miserable autumn under new manager Martin Johnson which has seen them lose heavily to Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

Johnson and the team have come in for a great deal of criticism but Wilkinson has total faith in his former team-mate.

"I believe he will be (successful)." he said.

"I don't say that as helping out someone I know, I genuinely believe it.

"To think someone is going to achieve straight away without going through a period of learning and adjustment is ridiculous.

"Jonno is such a clever, astute guy that he will pick up on that learning very quickly.

"I trust the system, I trust Martin Johnson, I trust the coaches and the players."