Ruaridh Jackson insists he is not about to give up on his hopes of representing Scotland at the 2015 World Cup despite suffering an anterior cruciate ligament tear.
The 26-year-old, who has won 25 international caps, moved from Glasgow Warriors to Wasps in the summer and was looking to hit the ground running.
However, after featuring in pre-season and in Wasps’ season opener against Saracens at Twickenham, disaster struck in his home debut as he felt his left knee give way.
Scans showed that Jackson had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear which will rule him out for anything between six and nine months, meaning he will be forced to sit and watch the 2015 RBS 6 Nations from the sidelines.
But the fly-half admits his international return is still very much in his thoughts, especially with the World Cup fast approaching on the horizon.
“There was nobody really near me and it was a bit of a freak incident. I just fell to the ground and felt something pop in my knee and as soon as it happened I thought it was something pretty serious,” Jackson told The Scotsman.
“I went for an MRI scan and that revealed that I had suffered an ACL tear and the early feeling was that I would be out for around six to nine months. To say I was gutted is a big understatement.
“I felt I had settled in pretty well to life at Wasps and I was really starting to enjoy my rugby. Now I face a long rehab period, but I just have to set myself small goals and keep working hard.
“Having only signed a one-year deal with Wasps, and with the Rugby World Cup now just a year away, the injury could not really have come at a worse time, but that is just the life of a professional sportsman.
“I will be listening to all the advice the experts give me in the coming months whilst trying to stay involved with the squad as much as possible with analysis and watching opposition and such like.
“Obviously playing for Scotland again is also in the back of my mind at the moment, but I really can’t think of that just yet. I need to just concentrate on getting the knee right and then hopefully play a few matches at the end of the season for Wasps and take things from there.”
Visit our official RBS 6 Nations Instagram page to follow all the best images from the Championship
