Nikki Walker surgery won't affect World Cup

OSPREYS and Scotland winger Nikki Walker has undergone two operations, but there are no concerns that his expected period of recovery could jeopardise his availability for the Rugby World Cup in September.

The 29-year-old former Hawick and Border Reivers player had surgery on a finger tendon injury and to resolve a knee cartilage problem. It is understood that these were planned with the knowledge of the SRU medical team and the Ospreys insisted that, although his recovery would continue through the handover of players to the Scotland training camp next month, he would be fit for the World Cup warm-up games with Ireland and Italy in early August.

Ospreys physiotherapist Chris Towers stated: "Nikki has had a couple of small procedures, one to address a tendon injury to his finger and a keyhole procedure for a cartilage issue in the knee. He will start his rehabilitation with the Ospreys medical team over the next few weeks before joining up with the Scotland squad to complete rehab and continue his Rugby World Cup preparations." Walker is the Ospreys second-top try-scorer with 23 touchdowns. He scored eight last season, including a hat-trick against Glasgow, to put him just four behind Shane Williams.

Walker was handed a fresh chance with Scotland this season, his first under Andy Robinson, on the back of his club form and grasped it with a try in the narrow win over Samoa, in his hometown of Aberdeen, and another, his sixth in 22 caps, against Italy to help secure Scotland's only Six Nations win at the end of the season.

The Scotland World Cup squad begin their summer camp on 20 June, although players with English and French clubs will not join up until 1 July. Scotland then face EMC World Cup warm-up games against Ireland on 6 August and Italy on 20 August, both at Murrayfield, before launching their World Cup campaign against Romania on 10 September.