Appendix operation for Jonny Wilkinson

Jonny Wilkinson

England's World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson has had his appendix removed, his Premiership club Newcastle confirmed yesterday.

The 26-year-old first five-eighths "went in to a local hospital on Friday to have the operation, following a grumbling appendix while on tour in Japan just over three weeks ago," the club said.

Wilkinson has hardly played since his last-gasp drop-goal won England the World Cup in Australia in November 2003 because of neck and shoulder injuries.

His problems were exacerbated by an inflamed appendix over the British summer.