Hodgson and Sheridan face World Cup fitness battle after injury blow

ENGLAND’S Charlie Hodgson and Andrew Sheridan face a fight to keep alive their World Cup dreams after suffering shattering injury setbacks.

Both players will not feature again this season for club or country.

The Sale Sharks pair face surgery during the next week, in fly-half Hodgson’s case to repair a cruciate knee ligament, while prop Sheridan has a fractured left ankle and associated ligament damage.

They will miss the entire 2007 RBS 6 Nations Championship and have little chance of making England’s two-Test tour of South Africa in late May and early June.

And that would leave them with just three scheduled World Cup warm-up games before England head to France and their tournament opener against the USA in Lens on September 8.

Hodgson’s hopes of featuring in the 2003 World Cup campaign were destroyed by an identical injury on his other knee.

The right knee will now be operated on after he was carried off during the 23-21 victory over South Africa.

Sheridan also left the Twickenham action on a stretcher, giving England head coach Andy Robinson plenty to ponder before naming his team today for Saturday’s second Springboks Test.

Leicester fly-half Andy Goode, who took over from Hodgson just before half time, is the likely replacement.

Robinson said: “Everyone feels for Charlie and Andrew. Their absence is a real blow to England and Sale Sharks.”

Robinson has called up Wasps prop Tim Payne to replace Sheridan among England’s 28-man training squad.

But it would appear Phil Vickery, who made a try-scoring return to Test action off the bench on Saturday, will start at loosehead.

Sheridan’s Sale front-row colleague Stuart Turner also linked up with the squad although he faces a disciplinary hearing tomorrow after being sent off against Newcastle last Friday.

Other players called in for training yesterday were Wasps wing Paul Sackey, Gloucester centre Anthony Allen, Saracens centre Ben Johnston, Bath lock Danny Grewcock, Sale flanker Magnus Lund and Wasps openside Tom Rees.

Meanwhile, a knee injury has ended Scotland flanker Jason White’s season.