Wilkinson waits for injury news

Alex Lowe,Pa
Monday 24 May 2010 05:42 EDT
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Jonny Wilkinson's hopes of touring with England this summer were in jeopardy today after he suffered a possible broken rib in Toulon's Amlin Challenge Cup final defeat to Cardiff Blues.

Wilkinson's departure early in the second half, with Toulon 13-6 up, proved to be the turning point as the Blues mounted a stunning second-half comeback to win 28-21.

Jamie Roberts, Leigh Halfpenny and Bradley Davies scored the tries as the Blues ended a 15-year wait for a Welsh club or region to win a European title of any description.

Wilkinson will undergo a scan within the next 48 hours which will determine whether he is fit to join England on their summer tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Toulon coach Philippe Saint-Andre said: "He took a bang. He was very sore. We don't know if it is a big matter, if it is a broken rib.

"He will have some tests. I am not sure they will be tomorrow because it is a Bank Holiday in France and nobody works in France. We will know more on Tuesday.

"If it is broken then yes (he will miss the tour) if not, then no."

Wilkinson thought he may have suffered a back spasm, which was aggravated further by his attempt to land a penalty in the 46th minute.

If so, he is confident of joining up with England for their five-match tour. Wilkinson was not set to feature against the Barbarians next Sunday.

"I'm not sure if it's a cracked rib," said Wilkinson.

"It feels like a bit of a back strain and I will find out this week. At the moment it does feel a bit uncomfortable but I am not in a position where I am feeling dread in any way."

At the point when Wilkinson limped out of the action, Toulon led courtesy of eight points from Wilkinson and a Sonny Bill Williams try.

Cardiff had been holding on but, with Wilkinson off, they sensed an opportunity to take control of the game and did so as Xavier Rush, Roberts and Casey Laulala came to the fore.

"It was key when Wilkinson went off," said Blues boss Dai Young.

"When we were putting them under pressure Wilkinson was able to relieve that. We were playing into his hands. We were hanging on in the first half by our toe-nails.

"But we have been a second-half team for the last two to three months and we had the confidence that in the second half we would come strong.

"The attitude was excellent - we could have chucked the towel in at some stages. It's another sign of how far we're moving forward as a region.

"To come here and win a European final on a neutral ground was a big achievement for us."

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