Lomu could miss British tour

New Zealand rugby winger Jonah Lomu will struggle to make the All Blacks squad to tour Britain in November because of a knee injury which has divided medical experts.

Lomu will miss Wellington's National Provincial Championship match against Otago in Dunedin on Friday because of the injury.

Wellington team management said the problem was a ligament tear, but All Black doctor John Mayhew said yesterday that Lomu had torn the quadricep muscle where it joins his knee cap, the Dominion newspaper reported today.

Mayhew has cleared Lomu to start against Bay of Plenty next week, but Lomu has not played since September 7 because of the injury and Wellington's attacking flow has improved markedly since then.

The primary beneficiaries have been wingers Brad Fleming and Lome Fa'atau, which is likely to mean only a place on the bench for Lomu against Bay of Plenty.

His performances in the Super 12 at the beginning of the year were dogged by lack of fitness and injury, resulting in a peripheral role in the international season.

The powerful winger was very much a cast extra as the All Blacks found new stars in winning the Tri-Nations.

Now, his lack of match play and the All Blacks selectors' desire to ensure a large pool of experienced players for next year's World Cup could mean Lomu misses out on the tour to Europe.