Scotland wing Thom Evans opts to have second operation on injured neck

The Scotland wing Thom Evans will this week have a second operation on his neck before returning home from Cardiff. The 24-year-old Evans, injured in a collision during Scotland's Six Nations defeat against Wales, has opted for the second procedure which the team's doctor, James Robson, said would speed up the recovery process. Evans will not play again this season.

"Thom has been heartened by the many messages of support he has received from around the world," said Robson. "He and his mother have spoken to the surgeons and Thom has opted to undergo a ­further procedure later this week, which will enhance the surgery that has already taken place and provide further stabilisation to his neck.

"This procedure is optional and Thom could have decided to have it done at a later point, or not at all. He's decided to go ahead now and that should help with the whole recovery process. The same surgeons who performed the initial operation will undertake this procedure. Once he has settled from this procedure the expectation is that he will be allowed to return home."

Robson will travel to Cardiff tomorrow to see Evans and the Scotland full-back Chris Paterson, who is due to be released from hospital after suffering bruising to his kidney.

Evans's coach at Glasgow, Sean Lineen, said Robson's quick diagnosis when he treated the wing was crucial. "The surgeons in Cardiff did a great job but I would like to pay special tribute to Lisa Casey [the Scotland physiotherapist] and James Robson who attended to him on the pitch. They say the minutes immediately after such an accident are crucial and the work they did cannot be under-estimated and probably gave the surgeons a good chance to perform a successful operation on Thom, who is in good spirits. It could have been a lot more serious than it actually was."

The Ireland hooker Jerry Flannery will appear before a disciplinary panel in Dublin tomorrow after being cited for allegedly kicking the France wing Alexis Palisson during the Six Nations defeat in Paris. He faces a ban of between four and 12 weeks if found guilty.

The Stade Français prop David Attoub will have his appeal against a 70‑week suspension imposed last month for eye-gouging the Ulster flanker Stephen Ferris heard in London on 2 March.

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Six Nations 2010: Ireland recall victory over Scotland that set the ball rolling

Heaven knows what the so-called Celtic Tiger era was all about, but nothing seemed to epitomise those frantic, party-hearty, naughty, boom years more than Ireland's amazing 27-25 win at the Stade de France 10 years ago.
On a bright Sunday afternoon in March Ireland, without a victory in Paris in 28 years, conjured rugby from the gods. Brian O'Driscoll scored three tries in 80 minutes, which equalled Ireland's total in Paris for the previous 20 years, and David Humphreys, who had missed a kick to win the corresponding game at Lansdowne Road the previous year, nervelessly smacked over the winning penalty three minutes from time.

For Ireland – the sporting nation and the country itself – it was a high point after years in the doldrums and as the new millennium dawned, all dreams now seemed permissible. Much of that has dissolved before our eyes and the economy is in tatters again, but for Irish rugby it really was the beginning of something good, one of the few enduring legacies of the Celtic Tiger.

Admittedly it has not always been the smoothest of paths. Rather typically, at the time, Ireland slipped to a disappointing home defeat against Wales just two weeks after that glorious day in Paris, showing an inconsistency they have had to battle against, and further down the line the 2007 World Cup debacle remains as inexplicable as ever. But that win in Paris undoubtedly provided the emotional juice and inspiration for just about everything good that followed.

"I was just a young kid that day wearing a jersey about four sizes too big for me. I looked faintly ridiculous," recalls O'Driscoll. "I was pretty naive in many ways but that was a really good thing because I had no preset idea as to how big the occasion would be and how big the win was. That came home when you saw all the emotion on the faces of our older players.

"It was another important rugby match at a big venue but there was no baggage or fear as far as I was concerned. It changed my life though. The day we got back I went to a schools cup final in Dublin and got absolutely mobbed for an hour or so by kids wanting autographs, which was entirely new to me. Something very big had clearly happened. It was a huge boost for Irish rugby."

O'Driscoll, Ronan O'Gara and John Hayes remain in the Ireland team from that day, 90+ cap veterans who have fulfilled most of their rugby dreams, although they have yet to win in Paris again, something which is high on their personal agendas on Saturday.

Others, such as Peter Clohessy and Mick Galwey, were experiencing something very special after long years at the coalface while Keith Wood, who had just started his second term as Ireland captain that season, was inspired enough to defy serious groin and shoulder injuries for another three years until the 2003 World Cup.

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Rugby: EK rugby star Ally targets Six Nations crown

RUGBY star Ally Strokosch believes it’s time Scotland realised their potential and lifted the Six Nations crown.

The 26-year-old from Stewartfield (pictured right) will have to watch from the sidelines at Murrayfield on Sunday as Scotland open their championship account against France.

The Gloucester flanker suffered a heartbreak injury and is out of the match – but says now is the time for the Dark Blues to stand up and be counted after years of talented teams failing to live up to their billing.

Ally told the News: “I definitely believe we can win the championship this year and that is our plan. We’ve set ourselves a target and that target is to win it. I think we are better prepared than last year and we are not a young team anymore.

“We’ve got a good side and it’s time all the potential we’ve talked about for the last few years was realised.

“France will be a tough start for us, but a lot of our guys have faced the French players regularly in European rugby and beaten them, so we know them well and what to expect.

“We had a good build up with the performances in the Autumn Tests (where Scotland beat Australia) and, although we lost the third game, that should stand us in good stead. We need to build our defensive display, though, and be quicker in the attack when we play France.

“But confidence is high and so is the spirit in the squad.”

After recording their first win over Australia in 27 years back in November, the Scotland camp will, no doubt, still be buzzing from the famous 9-8 victory.

However, if Andy Robinson’s Scotland side are to record victory over France this weekend they will have to overcome their terrible opening day hoodoo. For the Scots have lost nine of their last 10 opening matches in the Six Nations and this is something Ally says they are determined to change as the team aim to beat France, England, Wales, Ireland and Italy to the coveted title.

The former East Kilbride Rugby Club player added: “It’s a record we want to change. We are by no means the finished article yet, but I’m confident we can have a big impact this year – and we need to start with a good performance against France.

“They will be one of the biggest threats this year along with Ireland and Wales. Ireland are full of quality players at the moment and they won the Grand Slam last year, so they will go in as favourites. And Wales won the Grand Slam two years ago, so they are in there, too.

“It will be great to see how it unfolds this year, but we need to focus on beating France first.”

After this weekend’s match, Scotland travel to the Millennium Stadium on February 13 to face Wales, to the Stadio Flaminio on February 27 to face Italy before the Calcutta Cup match with England at Murrayfield on March 13 and a potentially huge match with Ireland on the final day, March 20, at Croke Park.

The Scots are looking forward to a home tie with England as they aim to avenge their 26-12 defeat at Twickenham last year.

“It’s always good to play England,” said Ally with great zeal. “It’s great to have them at Murrayfield this year and have the crowd behind us.

“To be honest, I’m not really that bothered where we play them anyway – I just care about winning the match.”


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