Hill’s international season gone, Lions place under threat from injury
Richard Hill’s worst fears have been realised as the 71 times capped England flanker has required reconstructive surgery to the anterior cruciate ligament.
When Richard Hill was carried off at the Madejski Stadium last Sunday, it didn’t look too good. The player’s worst fears have been realised as the 71 times capped England flanker has required reconstructive surgery to the anterior cruciate ligament.
It’s been a bad week all round in the cruciate department, what with Neil McMillan’s injury as well. At 31, there must now be considerable doubt over Hill’s international future.
Certainly, he will miss this international season, and he faces a huge challenge to be available to the Lions selectors in June.
As is often the case, the injury looked innocuous at the time, Hill appearing to twist his knee as he closed in to make a tackle.
Advances in medical science mean that this injury isn’t necessarily the career-ender that it once was, but it still requires an extended recovery period and a lot of hard work to overcome it. And there is always, especially at Hill’s stage of the product life cycle, the fear that the player won’t come back the same as before.
It could be that England has seen the last of the last member of their great backrow (pictured above) of Hill, Dallaglio and Back.