Manning Adds To Falcons’ Woes
The Newcastle Falcons’ bid to avoid relegation from the Aviva Premiership has been dealt a huge blow following the news that fly-half, Jeremy Manning, will miss the remainder of the season with a thumb injury. The side are now a (very) risky gambit with Betfair Rugby.
The New Zealander picked up the condition during a friendly against the British Army in last week’s Portuguese training camp, a match that saw Manning score two tries. The 25-year old ruptured ligaments in his right thumb during a tackle in the friendly, forcing him into surgery, and ruling him out of action until the summer.
Manning, who spent the opening part of the season sidelined with a hip injury, admitted his disappointment at being ruled out of the Falcons’ final three Premiership matches, revealing he wasn’t certain as to how he exactly he had picked up the problem.
"It was very frustrating to be told that I would be missing the rest of the season and it has certainly come at the wrong time,” Manning said. “I am not sure how I actually picked up the injury but, after I scored my two tries, I made a couple of tackles so it must have happened in the tackles."
The news has severely damaged Newcastle’s chances of avoiding the drop in their final three matches of the season. The club need a near-miracle if they are to catch their nearest rivals, Wasps, who they face in a possible relegation decider in the final match of the campaign.
Newcastle face Gloucester and the Saracens beforehand, matches that the Falcons are not expected to win, according to the Aviva Premiership odds.
Manning, a former Munster fly half, has been consistent for the struggling side when fit this season, and the loss of the player could prove to be the final nail in Newcastle’s coffin, this season.
