A battle of England V Argentina at Twickenham

LONDON — World Cup-winning hooker Steve Thompson was recalled on Monday to an injury-hit England squad for next month's Tests at Twickenham having himelf briefly retired from rugby because of a neck problem.


England manager Martin Johnson, who was Thompson's World Cup winning captain six years ago, has lost nearly two teams' worth of players because of injuries for next month's Tests against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand, including his first-choice front row.


Thompson retired in April 2007 after a neck operation but the now 31-year-old returned months later to play for Brive, having initially joined the French club as a coach.


He did make a brief England return with an appearance off the bench late-on in June's 37-15 win over Argentina but this was seen as a stop-gap effort.


Ironically, given his injury problems since landing the winning drop-goal in the 2003 World Cup final, fly-half Jonny Wilkinson - also now playing his club rugby in France, for Toulon - was fit enough to be included in the revised 32-man squad.


Johnson's selection saw him pick three uncapped players in forwards David Barnes, Richard Blaze and Courtney Lawes while prop Duncan Bell returned after a gap of four years.


"The whole squad is looking forward to three very tough games in November," Johnson said. "We've had to make a number of changes because of injuries but we have strength in depth.


"Each of the players coming in has the opportunity to push themselves into contention for the 2nd match England v Argentina on November 14."



Highly-rated lock Lawes, still only 20, got his chance after Nick Easter tore a calf muscle during Harlequins's 26-22 Premiership win over Worcester on Saturday that saw him ruled out for four weeks.


That day also saw veteran Leicester prop Julian White sidelined after tearing a hamstring in the 18-12 Premiership loss to London Irish.


Veteran prop White's injury came just days after it was confirmed ex-England captain Phil Vickery was ruled out for three months because of back surgery.


Fellow prop Andrew Sheridan was already sidelined for at least four months with a dislocated shoulder.

With hooker Lee Mears already out because of knee ligament damage, Johnson had to revamp what was an all British and Irish Lions front row while experienced lock Simon Shaw is currently injured as well.


And there have been injuries behind the scrum, with full-back Delon Armitage (shoulder), centre Riki Flutey (shoulder), fly-half Toby Flood (knee) and scrum-half Harry Ellis (knee) seeing their squad spots taken by David Strettle, Shane Geraghty, Andy Goode and Richard Wigglesworth respectively.


Saracens second-row Steve Borthwick, England's captain last season, has retained the leadership of the team for all three Tests.


"Steve has been appointed captain and I'm sure he will continue to do an excellent job," Johnson said.

Revised England 32-man squad for the November internationals against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand:

Backs


Matt Banahan (Bath), Danny Care (Harlequins), Mark Cueto (Sale), Ben Foden (Northampton), Shane Geraghty (Northampton), Andy Goode (Brive/FRA), Dan Hipkiss (Leicester), Paul Hodgson (London Irish), Ugo Monye (Harlequins), David Strettle (Harlequins), Mathew Tait (Sale), Mike Tindall (Gloucester), Richard Wigglesworth (Sale), Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon/FRA)


Forwards

Steffon Armitage (London Irish), David Barnes (Bath), Duncan Bell (Bath), Richard Blaze (Leicester), Steve Borthwick (Saracens, capt), George Chuter (Leicester), Jordan Crane (Leicester), Tom Croft (Leicester), Louis Deacon (Leicester), Dylan Hartley (Northampton), James Haskell (Stade Francais/FRA), Ben Kay (Leicester), Courtney Lawes (Northampton), Lewis Moody (Leicester), Tim Payne (Wasps), Steve Thompson (Brive/FRA), David Wilson (Bath), Joe Worsley (Wasps)


Fixtures (all matches at Twickenham):



Nov 07: England v Australia (1430GMT)


Nov 14: England v Argentina (1430GMT)


Nov 21: England v New Zealand (1430GMT)

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England V Australia Hospitality on Twickenham at Sat Nov 07, 2009

England v Australia (Sat)

Venue: Twickenham Date: 7 November Kick-off: 1430 GMT

Coverage: Commentary on 5 live, live text commentary on BBC Sport website; Highlights on BBC Three at 1915 and on Sunday, 8 November on BBC Two

A new-look England will look to Jonny Wilkinson to help launch the second year of Martin Johnson's reign with a Twickenham victory over Australia.


Wilkinson's return to Test duty for the first time in 18 months is a timely boost given a lengthy injury list.

Fellow World Cup winners Lewis Moody and Steve Thompson are also back, while Shane Geraghty, Matt Banahan, David Wilson and Jordan Crane get chances.


The Wallabies have won on two of their last three visits to west London.


But they arrive at Twickenham having lost six of their last seven Tests, albeit the defeats coming against southern hemisphere super-powers South Africa and New Zealand.

Under-pressure coach Robbie Deans is in no doubt as to what sort of challenge awaits his side as they play the first of successive Tests against the four home unions.

"It's going to be a ferocious contest," Deans said. "It's England at Twickenham, that's the way it is, we will have to work for everything we get."

England's preparations for their opening autumn Test have been affected by a raft of injuries, with only four of the players on duty in the corresponding fixture last year starting on Saturday.


But despite the disruptions, Johnson - whose managerial record reads five wins and six losses from his 11 Tests - believes his men are in better shape than 12 months ago, when they suffered heavy defeats by Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.


"Even though there have been changes, the squad has a better feel to it in terms of spirit than it did," he said.


"For guys to go and win Test matches, you have to have trust in each other."

Wilkinson's return for the first time since the end of the 2008 Six Nations should provide reassurance to an inexperienced backline, with Geraghty starting his first Test outside the celebrated fly-half and fellow centre Dan Hipkiss only his fifth.


Ugo Monye, in the absence of the injured Delon Armitage, is switched from his usual wing position to full-back.

Thompson glad to be back

Up front there will be much interest in the return of hooker Thompson for his first Test start since 2006, having retired for nine months in 2007 before a second opinion on a neck injury.


With Nick Easter among the casualties, number eight Crane has a chance to establish his credentials in his first Test start, as does Wilson at tight-head prop, with veterans Phil Vickery and Julian White also sidelined.


Emerging lock Courtney Lawes and the powerful centre Ayoola Erinle could also make Test debuts as impact replacements.


Australia are also weakened by injuries, with Quade Cooper and Digby Ioane forming an inexperienced centre pairing in the absence of first-choice duo Berrick Barnes and Stirling Mortlock.






But seasoned flanker George Smith, the fifth most capped player in Test history as he prepares for his 107th Test, returns to bolster a solid pack led by the rugged Rocky Elsom.its a prepation of Six Nations



If their forwards generate sufficient ball, the Wallabies will pose a significant threat with ball in hand, with half-backs Will Genia and Matt Giteau providing the spark.


"When I think about Australia, I think of a certain professionalism, and a major strength is that tactically they can work better than any other team," says Wilkinson, who has tasted victory in his last six encounters with the Wallabies for England, including the 2003 World Cup final.


"You have to be 100% on your toes. As soon as you're not, they'll pull you apart."

England: U Monye; M Cueto, D Hipkiss, S Geraghty, M Banahan; J Wilkinson, D Care; T Payne, S Thompson, D Wilson, L Deacon, S Borthwick (capt), T Croft, L Moody, J Crane.

Replacements: D Hartley, D Bell, C Lawes, J Haskell, P Hodgson, A Goode, A Erinle.

Australia: A Ashley-Cooper; P Hynes, D Ioane, Q Cooper, D Mitchell, M Giteau, W Genia; B Robinson, S Moore, B Alexander, J Horwill, M Chisholm, R Elsom (capt), G Smith, W Palu.

Replacements: T Polota Nau, M Dunning, D Mumm, D Pocock, L Burgess, R Cross, J O'Connor.

Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)

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Wales V New Zealand Hospitality - rugby hospitality packages

Touchline duel: Wales coach Warren Gatland is absolutely right, New Zealand have lost their aura but whether this was the right week to express that view is another question. Gatland should simply concentrate on producing a team which truly believes they can beat New Zealand. The All Blacks coaches are swapping roles for the autumn which will be all fine and dandy as long as they keep winning. Lose and the knives will be out.


Head to head: Great match ups all over the park, not least Martyn Williams taking on Richie McCaw again, but the clash worth the admission price alone will be the thunderous tete at tere between Jamie Roberts and Ma'a Nonu. Both blockbusting centres are much more skilful than often given credit but it will be the bone on bone crunch of combat that draws the eye.


 Talking tactics: South Africa have mastered New Zealand by dominating the All Blacks in the setpiece but Wales don't have the heavy artillery to achieve that although they have been working like Trojans at their scrummaging. Wales have a very useful back division and need to play to that strength, even if it opens up the game for the equally dangerous Kiwi runners.


And another thing: Wales have conceded an average of 37 points per game in their five matches - and five defeats - against New Zealand at the Millennium Stadium.


Wales: J Hook (Ospreys); L Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues), T Shanklin (Cardiff Blues), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues), S Williams (Ospreys); S Jones (Scarlets), G Cooper (Cardiff Blues); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), M Rees (Scarlets), P James (Ospreys), A-W Jones (Ospreys), L Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons), A Powell (Cardiff Blues), M Williams (Cardiff Blues), R Jones (Ospreys, capt).


Replacements: H Bennett (Ospreys), Duncan Jones (Ospreys), B Davies (Cardiff Blues), Dafydd Jones (Scarlets), M Roberts (Scarlets), J Davies (Scarlets), T James (Cardiff Blues).


New Zealand: M Muliaina (Waikato Chiefs); C Jane, C Smith, M Nonu, Z Guildford (all Wellington Hurricanes); D Carter (Canterbury Crusaders), B Leonard (Waikato Chiefs); W Crockett (Canterbury Crusaders), A Hore, N Tialata (both Wellington Hurricanes), B Thorn (Canterbury Crusaders), J Eaton (Wellington Hurricanes), J Kaino (Auckland Blues), R McCaw (capt), K Read (both Canterbury Crusaders).


Replacements: C Flynn, O Franks (both Canterbury Crusaders), T Donnelly, A Thomson, J Cowan (all Otago Highlanders), S Donald (Waikato Chiefs), B Smith (Otago Highlanders).


Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa).


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Jonny Wilkinson back in Autumn Internation England rugby

Keeping the faith. That’s what counts. Holding true to what matters is the key to a decent and meaningful life. And we can all keep the faith — as long as things go our way.


It’s when things go against us that trouble is doubled. That’s because we not only suffer from bad times, we also question the faith that sustains us. And no matter what form it takes, faith matters.


Jonny Wilkinson plays for England tomorrow. Unbelievable. It seems impossible that he is back again, impossible that he is still around, impossible that he still wants to play rugby, impossible that he still has the faith required to keep on keepin’ on.


He began his career as a man showered with gifts for his sport. He could run and pass. He could kick like an angel and tackle like a devil. He had the gift of temperament, too; never got above himself, always believed that he could improve, had calmness in the heat of battle. Best of all, he could switch in an instant from hot to a cold skill and perform extraordinary feats of dead-eyed penalty-kicking. crowd are rushy to watch him in ground. The sale of england hospitality is increase rather then other rugby events

As a result he transformed every match in which he played. The opposition knew that every transgression would cost them three points and, in this inhibition, Wilkinson’s teams consistently found the space and the freedom to impose dominance. So it was that England won the World Cup in 2003; and it was all far too good to be true.


So Wilkinson was put to the test, as few athletes are. He was visited with an unending plague of injuries. No sooner did he recover from one than he got another. He has spent six years in a dark tunnel of pain and rehab, emerging every now and then for yet another comeback, the inevitable precursor to yet another injury.


Consider them. He fractured a facet in his shoulder during the World Cup of 2003 and had a recurrence a couple of months later. He had an operation and missed the Six Nations Championship of 2004. He had a haematoma in his upper right arm the next autumn that kept him out for six weeks and had to stand down as England captain without ever having led out the boys.


In early 2005 he damaged the same knee twice. In the summer he damaged a shoulder playing for the Lions. He then missed the beginning of the season that year after having an appendix operation. The next January he tore an adductor muscle. He came back and damaged a kidney. In 2007 he missed the first game of the World Cup with an ankle injury. In May 2008 he had shoulder surgery. The next September he dislocated a knee.


But now he is back, playing for Toulon, and all reports say that he is better than ever.

This is one of the few bits of good news for England going into three testing autumn internationals. Jonny is back. Jonny is sound again. Jonny has not given up. Somehow, impossibly, unbelievably, Jonny has kept the faith.


Wilkinson is sport’s Job. Job, too, had all the gifts. He was a perfect, upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil. But, as Satan said to God — and here I paraphrase — so what? He has it easy. Why shouldn’t he keep the faith? What’s to stop him?


So God decided to test this most excellent and decent of men. It was a kind of bet with the Devil; as Virginia Woolf said, God doesn’t come out of this well. Job loses his wealth, his family and his health.

But he refused to curse God. This is the ultimate story of faith, and the keeping of it.


Wilkinson, in a secular life and following a calling set about with trivialities, has nevertheless established a meaningful story. He has taken pain and disappointment as his lot and, instead of giving up, has marched on with his faith intact.


He hasn’t become a drinker or a waster. He hasn’t become a professional celeb. He hasn’t grown bitter. He hasn’t lost patience. He has never introduced subtle little cheats into his many and various rehab programmes. He hasn’t got fed up with rugby. He still believes in sport.


No matter how many times we have wagged our heads and said that we would never see Jonny in an England shirt again, he has just carried on working, never once, it seems, doubting that it was worth doing. Perhaps he reached the point at which the goal of fitness no longer mattered. Work was an end in itself, keeping the faith was more important than any reward.


As Wilkinson worked, so he also thought and read. He found some kind of helpful explanation for what had happened to him in Buddhism and its doctrines of acceptance. He had kept the faith through times when faith itself seemed — at least to anybody else — not so much an impossibility as an absurdity.


It may only be sport, but there is still something high, lonely and even noble about this tale. Wilkinson, as he jogs on to the pitch at Twickenham tomorrow, will be for us all a little emblem of hope.


There aren’t many like him. And that must worry the entire sport of rugby union, which is going through the most extraordinary escalation of injuries. As players become bigger, fitter, stronger and more ruthless, so injuries come at an ever more frightening rate.


England are playing something like a third XV, Wilkinson apart. Australia are much the same. The game is becoming unsustainable, not least because there aren’t many people like Wilkinson in rugby, or anywhere else for that matter.


Many great athletes have suffered injuries and illness and somehow come through them: Sir Steve Redgrave, Dame Kelly Holmes, Denise Lewis, Niki Lauda, Lance Armstrong. But no one has suffered the relentless series of setbacks that Wilkinson has been through: one after another after another in an endless, soul-wearying succession.


All the same, it is something with which we can all identify. In sport alone we are used to setback and disappointment mixed with rare and glorious moments of triumph. Everyone who loves sport tastes more disappointment than glory. We just stick at it and hope for better times. When the England cricket team went through their decade of gloom, we carried on watching and hoping. We kept the faith, just as we keep the faith as the England rugby team attempt to rebuild under Martin Johnson.


In our own lives, we have all known times that test us, that tempt us to give up, to blame others, to abandon the things that matter. Some people go through extreme and terrible experiences, others have better luck. But we all know about hard times.


Wilkinson has become a modern myth of patience in adversity. He may be only a sportsman, his arena of trouble may be only disappointment and groin strains rather than the loss of everything dear. Of course it’s only sport. But Wilkinson never gave up his faith in sport. Sport has thrown a series of terrible things at him, but Wilkinson is back.


Welcome him, for he is the man who never cursed sport. you can see him live in groun. hospitality is available for this events

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Autumn internationals is yearly event and starts from Sat Nov 07, 2009 (14:30). It’s a poplar event in Europe. All matches hospitality is available. You can enjoy the tournament. Corporate hospitality group is official partner of rugby union and offers best Rugby hospitality packages. You can book you Wales V Samoa hospitality at vary competitive price and enjoy the match with lot of facility. We provide 100% security and privacy to customer information

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Autumn internationals is yearly event and starts from Sat Nov 07, 2009 (14:30). It’s a poplar event in Europe. All matches hospitality is available. You can enjoy the tournament. Corporate hospitality group is official partner of rugby union and offers best Rugby hospitality packages. You can book you Wales V New Zealand hospitality at vary competitive price and enjoy the match with lot of facility. We provide 100% security and privacy to customer information

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All Events Information please visit Corporate Hospitality Group

Contact Us

Address: Corporate Hospitality Group

Unit 1b
Spinnaker Court
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Hampton Wick

KT1 4ER

Tel: +44 (0) 020 8614 0818

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Email: sales@corporatehospitalitygroup.com

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Autumn internationals is yearly event and starts from Sat Nov 07, 2009 (14:30). It’s a poplar event in Europe. All matches hospitality is available. You can enjoy the tournament. Corporate hospitality group is official partner of rugby union and offers best Rugby hospitality packages. You can book you Wales V Argentina hospitality at vary competitive price and enjoy the match with lot of facility. We provide 100% security and privacy to customer information

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All Events Information please visit Corporate Hospitality Group

Contact Us

Address: Corporate Hospitality Group

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Spinnaker Court
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KT1 4ER

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Email: sales@corporatehospitalitygroup.com