KEY POINTS:
SYDNEY - Wallabies prop Guy Shepherdson is confident his injured knee will be right for Australia's opening rugby World Cup match despite being ruled out of training this week.
Shepherdson played through the final Tri-Nations test against New Zealand with the wear and tear injury to his right knee and had an arthroscopy three weeks ago.
The knee became swollen last week and he will not train with the Wallabies again before their departure on Thursday for a pre-World Cup camp in Portugal.
"It blew up a little bit so Dr Martin Raftery decided to take the conservative approach and gave me until Portugal until I need to run again," said Henderson, who has played 14 tests.
"They're reasonably happy with how its going, I just think they don't want to risk it anymore than they have to at the moment.
"I'm concerned I am not 100 per cent going into a World Cup ... but that's just part of what you've got to do with all year round playing rugby."
The Wallabies open their World Cup campaign against Japan on September 8.
Shepherdson has become an integral part of the improved Wallabies scrum, cementing the tighthead position and playing six of the side's seven tests this year.
Queensland's Rodney Blake has joined the squad in Sydney as a shadow squad member and will train with them this week.
- AAP
