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Woodward grateful for durability of veteran Leonard

Chris Hewett
Wednesday 05 February 2003 01:00 GMT
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Prop forwards worthy of the name used to play with their bodies held together by sticky tape and Vaseline – Robin Cowling, of Leicester, once spent an interesting 40 minutes scrummaging against the French front row while suffering from a dislocated shoulder – but professionalism put paid to that heroic nonsense. When England's medical men examined the two tight-head specialists in the Six Nations party, Phil Vickery and Julian White, on Monday evening, they promptly signalled a full-blown crisis in advance of the meeting with Les Bleus at Twickenham on Saturday week.

White, the best scrummager in England, wrenched his left knee while playing for Bristol against Leeds last weekend. Vickery, meanwhile, has been incapacitated by a dodgy back for the last 10 days and can barely get out of bed. White was scanned yesterday; Vickery will be scanned today. As things stand, neither man fancies his chances of making the Six Nations opener against France.

If only these young pups were more like Jason Leonard – or as he is usually described after a week away from the razor, the Venerable Beard. The 34-year-old Harlequin, now within 11 days of winning his 100th England cap, has not missed an international match through injury in the 13 years since his debut against Argentina in Buenos Aires. Even when he developed a neck condition that required career-saving surgery, he managed to fit both operation and recuperation between red rose commitments. What a star.

Actually, Leonard joined his two cauliflower-faced brethren on the sidelines during England's two-day training session in Surrey, which ended yesterday. The old boy is suffering from a dead leg, and may not feature in Harlequins' important Premiership match with Sale at The Stoop this weekend. But he is a stone-cold certainty to line up against the French, possibly at tight head rather than in his favoured loose-head position. Right now, happiness for Clive Woodward, the England manager, is a prop who can operate on both sides of the scrum.

Graham Rowntree, the Leicester loose head who played throughout last season's Six Nations, has been struggling for both form and fitness this term, but he has been included in the A squad and will presumably be promoted if, or rather when, one or both of the West Countrymen are ruled out of contention. That would leave a gap on the bench, with Robbie Morris, of Northampton, the obvious filler-in. Morris is out of favour at club level – there are serious concerns about his general fitness – but he was part of Woodward's mix during the autumn Tests and is at least familiar with the international environment.

Vickery, was suitably exasperated yesterday. "I am in pieces with it all at the moment," moaned the Gloucester captain. "My back has not been good for a while, and during the team run before our Cup tie with Saracens the weekend before last, I stumbled off balance and that was it. Game over. Sometimes, these things can disappear as quickly as they flare up, but I haven't been able to do a thing for nine or 10 days. I'll be seeing a specialist to make sure this isn't a disc problem."

In Argentina last summer, the England hierarchy were talking about switching Vickery to loose head and installing White as first-choice tight head, the reasoning being that with the outsized Steve Thompson at hooker, the red rose army would be blessed with the biggest, most intimidating front row in world rugby. When the French arrive in London with a front row every bit as accomplished, two of that threesome may well be missing. Suddenly, England have problems.

There was better news concerning half a dozen other players who failed to take an active part in Woodward's session. James Simpson-Daniel, Mike Tindall, Will Greenwood, Andy Gomarsall and Mark Regan are expected to be fit by the weekend, while Lawrence Dallaglio's shoulder problems are not as serious as at first feared.

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