LIST | 5 England stars who played through serious injuries

5. Jonny Wilkinson (NECK/SHOULDER)

The England fly-half suffered a stress fracture to facet joint in his neck after series of heavy collisions during the 2003 Rugby World Cup. The injury was only discovered when Wilkinson underwent a CT scan upon his return to Newcastle Falcons.

A statement from the club said: “Following a CT scan Newcastle Falcons confirm that Jonny Wilkinson has a slight fracture of a facet and believe this may have happened several weeks ago.”

Bony scar tissue touching nerve sent shooting pains through his right shoulder and arm over a long period of time. He finally had surgery in 2004 after playing through the pain longer than he should have.

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