Operation for Shayne Philpott

Press, 13 April 1988, Page 64

Operation for Shayne Philpott

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

The elation of making the New Zealand sevens rugby team for the recent international tournaments in Hong Kong and Sydney has soured a little for the valuable and versatile Canterbury utility back, Shayne Philpott. An injury to the left leg. sustained at the Sydney sevens won by New Zealand, prevented the Burn-

side club I player from being available for Canterbury’s first match in the A.G.C.j South Pacific championship against Fiji last Saturday. Philpott, I aged 22, saw an orthopaedic surgeon last week hnd he hoped that there I was no cartilage damage. ■ However, Philpott revisited the surgeon yesterday and, with no improvement, some cartilage problem is a

possibility. Philpott, who played 17 matches for Canterbury last year in his first full season in the A team and tallied 120 points, will have an operation tomorrow, but he believes that it will be more of an exploratory nature and he understands . that there is no ligament damage. The inside back, centre, wing or fullback said last

evening that he had not discounted his chances of returning to the Canterbury team for the final match of the South Pacific series, against Wellington at Lancaster Park on May 8. “I believe it is only a minor operation and I can be running again inside two weeks. With a bit of luck I will be available for the last South Pacific match,” he said.