/world sport
VERSAILLES, France -- Fly-half Jonny Wilkinson will miss England's opening World Cup match against the United States on Saturday after twisting an ankle in training.
Wilkinson has played only seven games for England since the last World Cup final.
"Jonny Wilkinson twisted his ankle in training this morning (Tuesday) and is not available for selection," said coach Brian Ashton.
"He is going for a scan this afternoon to determine the nature and the extent of the injury and until tomorrow there will be no further medical update."
The setback is the latest of a long series for the injury-plagued Wilkinson, who has made just seven England starts since kicking the World Cup-winning drop-goal against Australia four years ago.
The Newcastle player has suffered injuries to his knee ligaments, arm, shoulder and kidneys.
Olly Barkley will start at number 10 in the game in Lens.
Mike Catt and Jamie Noon will combine in the center, with Lawrence Dallaglio at number eight.
Captain Phil Vickery, fit again after suffering a head injury against France, will be at tight-head.
Ex-Great Britain rugby league skipper Andy Farrell will be on the bench with ex-England captain Martin Corry.
England's starting line-up shows six changes from the team which lost 22-9 to France in Marseille in their final warm-up game just over a fortnight ago.
Dallaglio's back row partners will be Wasps colleagues Joe Worsley and Tom Rees.
There is no place in the squad for Harlequins number eight Nick Easter.
Sale prop Andrew Sheridan is recalled at loose-head while Leicester lock Ben Kay will replace Bath's Steve Borthwick in the second row alongside Simon Shaw.
Fit-again scrum-half Peter Richards is a replacement and Catt and Noon, who played in the first warm-up defeat by France at Twickenham, are the two centers.
England:Mark Cueto (Sale); Josh Lewsey (Wasps), Jamie Noon (Newcastle), Mike Catt (London Irish), Jason Robinson (unattached); Olly Barkley (Bath), Shaun Perry (Bristol); Lawrence Dallaglio (Wasps), Tom Rees (Wasps), Joe Worsley (Wasps); Simon Shaw (Wasps), Ben Kay (Leicester); Phil Vickery (Wasps, capt), Mark Regan (Bristol), Andrew Sheridan (Sale)
Replacements: George Chuter (Leicester), Matt Stevens (Bath), Martin Corry (Leicester), Lewis Moody (Leicester), Peter Richards (London Irish), Andy Farrell (Saracens), Mathew Tait (Newcastle)
There was much better news for Ireland when they learned that Brian O'Driscoll may after all be fit to captain them against Namibia on Sunday.
O'Driscoll appeared to have little chance of playing when he suffered a fractured sinus and damaged cheekbones after a punch in the face in Ireland's World Cup warm-up against French club Bayonne on August 16.
It was initially thought he would miss the Namibia game and Ireland's second match against Georgia on September 15, but coach Eddie O'Sullivan reported that the Leinster center had trained on Monday and his recovery was ahead of schedule.
He told the Irish Independent: "We'll need to get a medical call on Brian playing Sunday before we finally sign off on it, but at the moment he's ahead of schedule.
"It becomes a possibility more than anything else."
O'Sullivan added: "It's a huge boost -- it could have been a lot worse but it wasn't. Once we got the good news that he was going to be out for a few weeks, it was just about trying to beat that deadline then.
"And to be fair, he's worked very hard on his fitness and on his rugby without going into contact.
"But I think we're getting very close to getting the all clear now. It's really down to the medics."
Ireland are expected to arrive at their World Cup base camp in Bordeaux on Wednesday. E-mail to a friend 
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