/ 26 May 2000

KING OUT OF ENGLAND TOUR

LONDON Wasps fly-half Alex King has withdrawn from next month’s tour of South Africa, England coach Clive Woodward confirmed on Thursday. King, Jonny Wilkinson’s fly-half back-up, has been ruled out of England’s 40-man squad due to a shoulder injury. “Alex has told me he won’t be available for the tour, and I am very disappointed for him,” Woodward said. “I am now giving consideration to a replacement, and I expect to make an announcement on Monday after watching this weekend’s matches.” King, who has been capped six times, has seen his career dogged by injury since winning the Rugby Football Union’s Young Player of the Season award in 1996. Fly-half cover is thin on the ground, given that Paul Grayson is unavailable to tour, and Woodward could now find himself turning to another uncapped player, possibly Rotherham’s 25-year-old former London Scottish player Simon Binns.