Rugby Union: Robinson's Knee Surgery an Unkind Cut for Ashton

Jason Robinson, England's captain on their recent tour to South Africa, will take no active part in the pre-World Cup training camp in Portugal, which starts at the end of the month, because of the knee injury he sustained during the first Test against the Springboks in Bloemfontein.

Robinson, England's third captain this year after Phil Vickery and Mike Catt lost the armband because of injuries, is having an arthroscopy to remove debris in his knee, having missed the second Test against South Africa in Pretoria last weekend because of the problem.

England issued a statement last night saying that they expected Robinson to be available for the first of their three pre-tournament friendlies against Wales at Twickenham on August 4, but the fact he will be recovering from surgery when the squad flies out to the Algarve on June 25 is another setback in a year of them for the head coach, Brian Ashton.

Ashton will at the end of next week name a squad of 40 for the 12-day camp in Portugal. A number of players who were unavailable for South Africa because of injury, including the Sale pair Andrew Sheridan and Charlie Hodgson, are expected to be included.

England, the World Cup holders, are the bookmakers' sixth favorites to win the tournament in France in the autumn. Ashton, who took over from Andy Robinson last December, has been plagued by injury problems during his six-month reign and while Robinson is expected to recover within seven weeks, he has no margin for error. Ashton has to name his 30-strong squad for the World Cup after the August 11 friendly against France at Twickenham and any reaction to the surgery would leave the 33-year-old Robinson, who is retiring from all rugby at the end of the tournament, fighting against time.

Ireland's coach, Eddie O'Sullivan, will take charge of the Barbarians for next December's friendly against South Africa at Twickenham, just a few months before he is likely to be named as the head coach for the Lions series against the Springboks in 2009. O'Sullivan, a member of Sir Clive Woodward's management team when the Lions were in New Zealand two years ago, is the favorite to lead the tourists in South Africa.

Worcester, meanwhile, have signed the Fiji back rower Netani Talei on a one-year contract. John O'Neill, the man who took the Australian Rugby Union out of the amateur era and into profit, will return to the governing body as chief executive at the end of the month three years after standing down.