Toucan

England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson will miss the 2009 Six Nations championship after being told he faces being sidelined for five months with a dislocated knee.

The Newcastle Falcons number ten suffered the injury in last week's Guinness Premiership match at Gloucester and was originally expected to return by early February - when the international tournament kicks off.

However, after a further examination by a specialist, it appears Wilkinson may now struggle to find his fitness before the final round of Six Nations matches in late March.

"I don't make things easy for myself, do I?" the 29-year-old told the Times newspaper.

"Obviously this jeopardises my involvement in this season's international rugby a bit, but I will never rule anything out.

"If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen, but it will certainly have been worth striving for."

The injury setback comes at a particularly bad time for Wilkinson, who said he had been feelingin the best shape for many years at the start of this season.

"I haven't had a start of a season feeling so good," he said.

"I was also getting the impression that the whole England scene was moving in the right direction.

"I had met up with the squad once, I was also in regular contact with Brian Smith, the new attack coach, and, knowing Martin Johnson as I do, I was getting the feeling of an England environment that is as good and strong, as supportive and selfless as you would hope for."

The latest injury is the 14th major problem suffered by Wilkinson since his heroics as a fresh-faced 23-year-old during England's World Cup-winning campaign of 2003.

However, when asked if he had considered retirement from rugby because of the repeated injuries and bad luck, Wilkinson remained unrepentant: "Forget it. It's not a consideration."

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