Wood to visit surgeon in bid to get his season back on track

KEITH WOOD visits a surgeon today with his rugby season in the balance.

The injured Irish skipper has no idea when he will be fit for competitive action and at a time when he should be preparing for the Six Nations clash with France, he is left to ponder on another F word frustration.

"It's all very frustrating especially when people ask when I'll be back and I can't tell them. But at least I do have the benefits of seeing Ireland beat everybody they take on. It's not all negatives."

Wood said yesterday he has played "with some element of pain" for two years after previous operations, but is wary of what damage might unfold this time were he to push it too far.

"It's catching in certain movements and you can't be sure which," he explained. "For instance, it could happen when you're throwing into a lineout, and for sure then you're going to miss your jumper.

"I now have to face the realisation I have very little chance of being available for any of the remaining matches in the Six Nations.

"I'm seeing my surgeon today and hopefully he'll have some good news, but my aim now is essentially to get in a few matches with my club Harlequins before the end of the season. I'm certainly doing all I can."

Having come through that and ended his current contract with Quins, one that is most unlikely to be renewed he will return to his home in Killaloe and prepare for one big,

final effort leading Ireland in the World Cup in Australia next October and November.

"There are tons of matches in the build-up to get back into shape", he says. "The good thing is that people stop training at the end of the season so everybody is at the same stage when they start again. I won't be match fit but neither will they. So you see there are some benefits as well as negatives but, it is very frustrating".

A level-headed man in good or bad times, Wood is looking forward to the coming weekend, although he certainly doesn't subscribe to the dangerous theory that the odds are weighed in favour of Ireland on Saturday.

"A lot of things have been going our way (this season), the elements of luck that every side needs," he reasons.

"It could be fairly argued that England had no luck in the matches that cost them the Grand Slam over the past four years. Like when we beat them in Dublin, they were without Phil Vickery, Lawrence Dallaglio and Martin Johnson. That day, too, Peter Stringer brought off an amazing tap tackle on Dan Luger and without it, we would have lost.

"France will certainly miss Galthie and de Villiers. But because they haven't yet performed to their own lofty standards so far doesn't mean they have become a bad side.

"Okay, so they lost to England at Twickenham, but that seems to happen to everyone these days, and even if they weren't all that impressive against Scotland, they still won by miles. I'll let you in on a little secret, I'm still tipping them for the World Cup."

* Wallaby fullback Chris Latham is poised to join his international colleague Jim Williams at Munster next season. The Queensland Reds star is strongly linked with a move to Munster, though coach Alan Gaffney insists the deal is far from complete.

The 27-year-old figured in the Wallabies' World Cup triumph in 1999, and will likely be one of the many Super 12 stars to seek a big European payday after October's World Cup.