LONDON (AFP) - Injury-hit England skipper Jonny Wilkinson says he had no choice but to take several weeks off from the game to fully recover from his latest setback.
The World Cup hero will be on the sidelines for up to six weeks to recover from bruising to his right arm.
That means the Newcastle stand-off will likely miss England's Test matches in November in which he was due to captain the side for the first time.
Wilkinson has only just returned from a career-threatening neck and shoulder injury which kept him out for eight months after the World Cup victory.
But he dismissed fears that this latest blow was more serious than at first thought.
"This week I knew there was no decision really. I had to rest,'' he wrote in his column in The Times.
"It would not take many more games before it got so bad that I couldn't actually play long term if the condition were allowed to deteriorate.
"I was not told that one more hit would mean the end of the world but you have to make the link in your own head about the risk."
Wilkinson admitted that although he would have tried to play through the pain, the injury had already thrown him out of his usual routine and was making him more vulnerable in matches.
"The injury has given me no chance to prepare. I could not continue going into games without the right preparation because I would always be looking at damage limitation.
"I could not let it get worse and worse. I need to get to the bottom of it, clear the slate and come back.
"The responsibility was given to me about the pain but I am not good at making decisions about whether I play or not because, deep down, I would never refuse to play.
"It was a group decision. It had got to the stage where I was going into a game knowing I was waiting for that first hit and just praying for that hit not to happen.
"The last thing I want to do is hide. This would lead to sides targeting me, which could only make things worse."
10/23/2004 - 11:19 GMT - AFP