England’s Flutey out for up to three months
ENGLAND manager Martin Johnson suffered another blow to his preparations for the autumn internationals yesterday when centre Riki Flutey was ruled out for the entire programme.
Flutey, who joins full-back Delon Armitage in the treatment room, will be sidelined for up to three months with a shoulder injury.
The Brive and British and Irish Lions player initially suffered the damage in January but scans yesterday uncovered the full extent of the problem.
“The surgeon has concluded, in conjunction with the England and Brive medical teams, that Riki will be unavailable for a period of up to three months,” read an England statement.
“It is therefore unlikely that he will be able to prepare or take part in England’s internationals in November.”
Armitage is also a doubt for the fixtures against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand after suffering a suspected dislocated shoulder on Sunday.
The London Irish star will learn the severity of the injury when he sees a consultant today, having undergone a scan yesterday.
The 25-year-old is expected to be out for between six and 12 months, meaning he is likely to miss at least England’s first match of the autumn, against Australia on 7 November.