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For a moment it looked like they were going to need a stretcher to cart him off.
There he was again, England first five-eighths Jonny Wilkinson lying in a heap at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.
It was an all-too familiar sight for those who have followed his career over the past decade, particularly since his part in England's World Cup triumph in 2003.
Wilkinson suffered a back spasm in the 70th minute as he tried to stop Springbok flanker Schalk Burger scoring one of the Springboks' seven tries in a 58-10 rout of the much-weakened 2003 world champions.
But Wilkinson found the wherewithal to retire to the touchline under his own steam, his nose a bloodied mess, taking the last vestiges of English resistance with him.
This latest interruption is just another in a long line that has stalled Wilkinson, who made his return to the England side in February after three years out of the national side.
Wilkinson made the Lions tour to New Zealand in 2005, but his series finished in the second test at Wellington with neck and shoulder problems.
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