Rugby Union: `Big man' King decides he is unfit to face Wallabies

England are still talking enthusiastically about the brave new world of rugby union they hope to explore at Twickenham tomorrow, but Alex King's knee injury may well have knocked that world off its axis. Chris Hewett reflects on a setback for both player

"The more I practise, the luckier I seem to get," said Gary Player, by way of explaining his phenomenal success on the greens and fairways of golf's money-laden landscape. It is not the sort of message Alex King will be wanting to hear today. The 22-year-old outside-half from Wasps works harder than most at his chosen sport and a fat lot of good it appears to be doing him.

King withdrew yesterday from the England side to play Australia at Twickenham tomorrow, citing more trouble with his right knee. He gambled on keyhole surgery late last month, rightly suspecting that he might be chosen for the Wallaby encounter if only he could guarantee his fitness. But while he survived the rigours of trial by Brive on Sunday, this week's heavy training sessions have proved a test too far.

His absence means a return journey from centre to stand-off for Mike Catt and a reprieve for Phil de Glanville, last season's England captain. Paul Grayson, the Northampton goal-kicking specialist, has been drafted on to the bench.

"The last two training sessions have been very intense and I realised when I woke yesterday morning that the knee was not 100 per cent and probably wouldn't be in time for the match," said King, who tried hard to smile at his colleagues' good-natured pick-me-up banter but failed miserably.

"It was probably the most difficult sporting decision I've ever had to make, but there was no real option but to pull out. I wouldn't have been able to play to the best of my ability and that would have meant my letting the side down as well as myself."

He already knows how that feels, for King was notoriously let down by others as recently as last March. The then England coach, Jack Rowell, got his knickers in such a complicated twist over goal-kicking that he dropped his most gifted young playmaker from the squad to play Wales and filled the breach by dragging Rob Andrew out of retirement. The decision did about as much for King's spirits as Watergate did for Nixon, especially when Andrew sneaked on for a cameo near the end.

Ironically, the new Woodward regime now faces an almost identical problem. Catt's occasionally inspired but unreliable marksmanship requires a substantial safety net, but King's absence thrusts the onus on Matt Perry, the debutant full-back who has quite enough on his plate without having to worry about goal-kicking - especially as he has not kicked for the posts in anger since bursting into the limelight at Bath late last season.

Grayson, very much a specialist, provides some cover from the bench, but his continuing thigh problems have prevented him from taking aim for Northampton this season. Although Roger Uttley, the England manager, denied any suggestion of a kicking crisis, the side will be horribly exposed if Catt's radar goes haywire.

Yet that is far from the most deflating aspect of King's misfortune. What his absence really denies England is the chance to blaze a glory trail through the most exciting midfield trio selection since Will Carling and Jeremy Guscott were in rompers. The mixture of King's subtlety, Catt's lone-wolf explosiveness and Will Greenwood's classical passing skills looked a rich brew indeed and it would be a travesty if Woodward permanently shelved his grand design through temporary force of circumstance.

"I'm pleased to get another chance at outside-half because I see myself first and foremost in that position," Catt said. "I feel for Alex though, genuinely feel for him.

"It's a tough call, ruling yourself out of a big match like this. I can only say that he's proved himself a bigger man than I was this time last year, when I played against Argentina without being completely fit."

As for De Glanville, few will begrudge him an opportunity to set his personal record straight against the Wallabies. His uncharacteristic defensive frailty against Australia in Sydney last summer threatened to draw a thick, black line under his Test career, but his recent form has been far more impressive and Woodward thought long and hard about giving him a start in tomorrow's match.

Lawrence Dallaglio, De Glanville's successor as captain, made all the right noises as he balanced his sympathy for King with a bullish statement of belief in the revamped back division. "The emphasis in this squad is on precisely that - the squad," he said. "We've all trained exceptionally well this week and both Mike and Phil have demonstrated at club level recently that they are more than capable of playing at this level."

Unfortunately, we will have to wait a little longer to see if the same can be said for poor Alex King.