Now Barkley buckles
England star Olly Barkley, poised to replace the injured Andy Farrell in the XV to face Australia on Saturday, has revealed that he is also struggling for fitness.
But the Bath playmaker has moved to allay any fears about his fitness as England target a win over the Wallabies and semi-final showdown against New Zealand or France in Paris.
"I got a dead leg in training yesterday," said Barkley on Thursday.
"I am walking fine and we will just have to wait and see what happens in selection.
"That has just been our luck in this World Cup - if you are on the bench in this team, you are as good as starting sometimes!
"Myself and Faz were injured about five minutes apart in training. I sat down, then Faz came and sat down.
"I think he was just running, chasing a kick. I, unfortunately, got a flying Phil Vickery in the side of my leg.
"They were two freak incidents, really."
Farrell will miss the quarter-final clash after sustaining a calf injury, and Barkley admitted he would be disappointed if Brian Ashton does not hand him the inside-centre slot.
Barkley, Jonny Wilkinson, Jason Robinson, Mark Cueto and Farrell have all suffered cruel setbacks at various stages of the tournament which has forced Ashton into various degrees of chopping and changing.
Ashton will not make any public announcement about Farrell's replacement until Friday lunchtime, but Barkley, Mike Catt and Toby Flood are the alternatives.
Ashton must decide whether or not to promote Barkley off the bench, go with the vastly-experienced Catt - a 2003 World Cup winner - or hand Flood a first appearance since he arrived in France as an injury replacement for his Newcastle colleague Jamie Noon.
The smart money is now on Catt making a first start since he played at fly-half in England's record 36-0 World Cup defeat against South Africa at Stade de France in the pool stages.
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