London Irish lose skipper Strudwick to injury

London Irish have suffered a major injury blow with the loss of their skipper Ryan Strudwick for three months.

Strudwick was hurt during Irish’s 20-0 victory over fellow Zurich Premiership strugglers Newcastle on Sunday.

Although initial fears that the 29-year-old might have broken his ankle were dismissed following x-rays, a further scan has revealed torn ligaments.

The influential second-row forward, who led Irish to Powergen Cup glory at Twickenham last season, will be in plaster for at least four weeks.

And Irish say he is unlikely to play again for three months, ruling him out of important Premiership games, plus the Exiles’ remaining Heineken Cup group matches against Edinburgh and Toulouse.

He will also miss the Powergen Cup quarter-final against Rotherham later this month, and faces an uphill struggle to recover for the April 5 final if Irish reach Twickenham again.