No fears of re-injury for Hodgson

 

Hodgson, who tore his right hamstring during a pre-season game, will make his long-awaited return in Friday's clash with the second-placed Chiefs in New Zealand.

 

The 33-year-old faces a crunch period as he attempts to work his way into World Cup calculations, and he's confident the injury won't strike again.

 

"It was a one-in-a-million type of injury," Hodgson said on Monday.

 

"I was unlucky enough to get stuck under a body and get cleaned out at the same time.

 

"The hamstring had nowhere to go, so it was either that or the knee. I chose to do the hamstring because it's a shorter recovery.

 

"If I had any fears, I wouldn't be coming back."

 

The last-placed Force are now just one defeat away from equaling their longest-ever losing streak of nine defeats in their inaugural season of 2006.

 

Hodgson is determined to put an end to the string of losses, and he said that there were enough positives to take out of last-week's 13-6 loss to the Stormers to suggest the Force were on the right path.

 

After spending almost three months on the sidelines, the Wallaby flank cannot wait to be playing rugby again.

 

"Last night I was packing my bag and I almost put my suit in it," Hodgson said.

 

"So it's good to throw that away and actually pack some footy [rugby] boots.

 

"The body feels great. I did a full week of training last week," he added.

 

Lock Sam Wykes, who was the stand-in captain during Hodgson's absence, is set to spend at least two weeks on the sidelines because of a foot injury.

 

Scrumhalf Alby Mathewson (knee) will also miss the team's two-match tour of New Zealand.

 

Hodgson, who has re-signed with the Force for a further two years, played his way into Wallabies contention with a standout Super Rugby campaign last year.

 

The hard-working veteran would love nothing more than the chance to play for Australia at the 2015 World Cup, but for now his focus is solely on helping the Force get off the bottom of the table.

 

Source: aap