Dunbar vows he’ll be ready for the World
GIVEN the injury problems suffered by Scotland’s centres of late, there had been suggestions, only partly in jest, that the position was cursed.
Alex Dunbar, however, is determined to ensure that he is not the victim of some rugby jinx.
With two top knee specialists, who have helped some of the greatest sportsmen on the planet, on his side, the odds appear to favour the Glasgow Warriors star.
Dunbar went under the knife of London-based orthopaedic surgeon Andy Williams, who has also operated on the likes of Ashes hero Andrew Flintoff and England Rugby World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio, after he ruptured the cruciate ligament in his left knee during Six Nations training back in March.
Then, to speed up his chances of recovery after knee reconstruction surgery, the SRU sent him to the Philadelphia clinic of rehabilitation specialist Bill Knowles, who has helped the likes of Tiger Woods, Jonny Wilkinson and Wayne Rooney.
Having now arrived back in Scotland, the 25- year- old from Dumfries is confident that after a final consultation with Williams in London in two weeks’ time, he will return to full training and be fit for the big kick-off in September.
‘Playing in the World Cup is the goal I have got and I am quite confident about making it now,’ said Dunbar.
‘Of course I still know in the back of my mind there is a long way to go before I am back fully fit and on the pitch — but I can make it.
‘After the injury and everything else, it would be a dream come true to be fit enough to play in my first World Cup.
‘I have had excellent care and help since my injury first with Andy Williams. It helped a lot being out in the States with Bill Knowles where I got back to running, did change of direction stuff and built up the strength in my legs.
‘It isn’t that Bill did anything terribly different out there in terms of rehabilitation, but he is an incredibly positive person and some of the things he did helped me a lot.
‘For example, I was doing a lot of reconditioning stuff, getting back into some basic movements, progressing along well.
‘Sometimes you get aches and pains when you are building up but within 15 minutes of working with Bill everything started to loosen up in the knee and I was raring to go. He has really helped my rehab. I now feel really ready to go out there and progress quite quickly with the World Cup in mind.
‘I still have to fly to London to see Andy Williams in a fortnight for a final consultation but I hope it is good news and everything else falls in to place and I get back fit. Things have all been going well and I have been pushing my knee quite hard and it has not reacted which is a good sign.’
The 14-time capped centre conceded he may not be match fit for Scotland’s first three World Cup warm-up matches before Vern Cotter cuts his World Cup squad from 46 to 31, but the fact the SRU have spared no expense to get him fit s hows his importance to the cause.
Cotter sees Dunbar as part of his first- choice centre pairing alongside Warriors team-mate Mark Bennett, who has not played after knee surgery back in April but will be fit for the tournament.
Both have the experience of playing together for club and country — and against the more physical sides in the World Cup group stage, such as Samoa and South Africa, their strength in the tackle will be vital.
With fellow centre Duncan Taylor of Saracens already ruled out after shoulder surgery and with Matt Scott in a race against time to be fit after three shoulder operations in a year, Dunbar’s participation in an injury-hit area of the park for Scotland is all the more important.
‘I have not spent a lot of time alongside the boys i n the Scotland training squad but hopefully that can change soon,’ he continued.
‘I hope I can start integrating back into the skills stuff with running sessions at the side of the pitch when the boys are training and slowly work my way back into the full sessions, doing contact and everything else.
‘Making the World Cup is a huge incentive. Everybody is working hard just now so I have to play a bit of catch up with the other boys in the squad.’
“I’m confident about being fit in time”