World Cup KO for injury jinxed prop Sheridan
ENGLAND’S World Cup plans have been rocked by the news that experienced prop Andrew Sheridan has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a shoulder injury.
The 31-year-old had only just recovered from reconstructive surgery on his shoulder but aggravated the problem during Saturday’s bruising encounter against Argentina in Dunedin.
England are well stocked with front row forwards, manager Martin Johnson selected five amongst his 30-man World Cup squad, and the England manager will delay his decision on whether to call-up a direct replacement.
London Irish’s Alex Corbisiero, who impressed greatly during the victorious Six Nations campaign earlier this year, would be the obvious candidate to deputise for Sheridan in the team that will face minnows Georgia on Sunday.
But for now Johnson was willing only to extend sympathy to Sheridan, rather than ponder his replacement.
He said: “It’s really sad for Sheri. He has been unlucky with injuries and we wish him all the best for his recovery.
“We brought five props so we have options there and we can bring another player out but we will decide what to do about that in due course.”