Flutey's ready after lonely bid for fitness.Byline: ANDREW BALDOCK RIKI FLUTEY Riki Flutey (born 10 February 1980) is a rugby union footballer who plays at half back for London Wasps. Riki joined London Irish from the New Zealand Super 12 side, Wellington Hurricanes. has recalled the lonely moments of realisation that his British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions (until 2001 known as the British Isles Rugby Union Team or more colloquially the British Lions tour might have been destroyed by injury. The Lions have already lost wing Leigh Halfpenny (thigh) and flanker Stephen Ferris Stephen Ferris is the name of:
But England centre Flutey has emerged from a dark tunnel through a combination of his own iron-willed discipline and expert Lions medical care. A knee problem suffered in the opening game against the Royal XV 12 days ago left him facing an immediate fitness battle. Flutey's unflinching determination to recover, though, meant there was never a chance of him throwing in the towel. "I remember getting tackled against the Royal XV," he said. "I got up and rubbed my leg and didn't think anything of it. "I carried on with the game, then got back to my room and got into my shirt and jeans ready to go out with the boys and I felt it stiffening up quite a bit. "I decided to stay in and ice it up every two hours. I've done everything I possibly can, with help from the medical team, to get my knee to 100% and where it is at now. "It was quite lonely being in my room just icing it up, but at the end of the day that is what it takes. I knew Wednesday's game was a sort of a deadline for me, so I had to do everything I could. "It was an old cartilage thing that flared up a little bit. Some fluid in behind my knee got into the joint." Flutey's appearance as a second-half substitute in the 39-3 win over the Sharks on Wednesday night was the prelude to his probable first tour start when the Lions tackle Western Province in Cape Town Cape Town or Capetown, city (1991 pop. 854,616), legislative capital of South Africa and capital of Western Cape, a port on the Atlantic Ocean. It was the capital of Cape Province before that province's subdivision in 1994. on Saturday. His Lions experience though, could so easily have proved a tale of despair and heartbreak. "The medical team have been absolutely fantastic," he added yesterday. "I've been honest with them the whole way through. On Monday this week, I needed to be at 70%, but I was running at 95% really comfortably. "Mentally, last night's game was a good tester, coming off the field knowing I got through it all. "It was quite a lonely place, in my room by myself, icing up Riki Flutey and talking to my wife telling her I may well be coming home. At the end of the day, that's the reality of it." Jamie Roberts and Brian O'Driscoll are expected to forge head coach Ian McGeechan's Test midfield partnership, but Flutey has at least given himself a fighting chance one dependent upon the issue of a struggle. See also: Fighting . And he said: "I think the squad is so tight that the guys who are not starting will back whoever is on the field to give them everything they need in order to win a game for the Lions. "I am 100% fit and ready to go if I do get the opportunity to start on Saturday." CAPTION(S): British Lions'' (l-r) Donnacha O''Callaghan, Nathan Hines, Joe Worsley and Matthew Rees watch Harry Ellis yesterday |
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