Wilkinson Ruled Out of Final Test

Jonny Wilkinson will miss Saturday's third and final Test against New Zealand amid fresh concerns that recurring injuries to nerves in his neck and shoulder will eventually cut short the England fly-half's record-breaking career.

Wilkinson will be assessed again today by the Lions' medical team after suffering two jarring blows which required lengthy treatment in Saturday's defeat in Wellington but Sir Clive Woodward has already ruled him out of the match in Auckland and indicated he will turn to Stephen Jones or Charlie Hodgson at No10.

"In my mind, I'm not going to play him [Wilkinson] in the next Test match," Woodward said last night.

"We've lost the series and we've now got to look at playing either Stephen Jones or Charlie Hodgson next weekend." The Lions coach selected Jones at fly-half for the first Test, with Wilkinson starting the match in the centre before reverting to his more familiar role on Saturday.

The assistant coach Ian McGeechan said: "The tour doctor James Robson will monitor him over the next two days. Jonny's neck is still stiff." More worryingly McGeechan revealed that Wilkinson suffered a further recent nerve problem, known as a "stinger" injury, in training, not good news for a player who underwent neck and shoulder surgery last year. Biceps and knee problems since that surgery have prevented him playing a Test for England since the 2003 World Cup final.

It had been hoped that Wilkinson was now clear of the fitness problems which have plagued his career but the sight of the 26-year-old Newcastle fly-half in familiar agonised pose, clutching his shoulder after falling heavily, suggested his decision to make himself available for this tour may have backfired.

Gavin Henson is having tests for concussion after also being replaced in the second half of the Lions' bruising record defeat. With the outstanding Daniel Carter (shoulder) and Aaron Mauger (hamstring) already out of Saturday's final Test, both sides are having to reassess their midfield options and the Lions have also been forced to rule the prop Andrew Sheridan out of tomorrow's team to face Auckland with recurring ankle trouble.

The side for the final midweek game includes one Lions debutant, Scotland's Jason White who arrived last week as a replacement for the injured Richard Hill. He has joined a squad who have been urged by the sidelined captain Brian O'Driscoll not to allow the tour to unravel over the final days despite the loss of the series.

"This week is going to be a test of our character . . . pride becomes a factor now," admitted O'Driscoll, keen to stress his team had lost to a hugely impressive New Zealand side. "Sometimes you have to hold your hand up and concede the better side won. I don't think we've clicked as we'd anticipated but they've certainly been more difficult to beat than Australia were four years ago. I don't think any side in the world, playing well, would have been able to live with them."

The former Wales and Lions full-back JPR Williams was equally unimpressed with Woodward's stewardship. "He said this was the best prepared Lions team of all time. Well, they showed they're not," he said, suggesting that allocating single rooms to the players had been detrimental to tour morale.

McGeechan, however, said team spirit remained good. "I'd prefer to be 2-0 up after two games, it's a lot easier," he said, referring to the Lions' series victory in South Africa in 1997. "But you won't see any players going off tour this week. They're just not like that. We've got a very disciplined group."