Rugby NewsJonny Wilkinson will not rush back into action after his recurring neck and shoulder injury was diagnosed as a small fracture which has already begun to heal.

The Newcastle and England outhalf almost certainly sustained the fracture during the recent World Cup campaign, probably in the final when he needed prolonged treatment after tackling the Australian replacement outhalf Matt Giteau, and will not return for his club until the new year.

Wilkinson was at Kingston Park yesterday where Newcastle's 66-27 Parker Pen Challenge Cup victory over Spain's Valladolid took them through to the next round on a 137-37 aggregate.

He was mobbed by two dozen visiting supporters and drew the half-time raffle before taking his leave for last night's BBC Sports Personality of the Year presentations, where he won the principal award. That ceremony marked the beginning of what promises to be another busy week.

"I am trying to keep myself busy because it helps me cope with the pain," he said. "I want to be out on the field doing my bit because I find it deeply frustrating being on the sidelines even if it cheers me up to be among the world's happiest supporters. I am going to take all the time I need to ensure the problem in my neck heals properly.

"It is an old injury which has been healing for a while already, so it may be that I have just two or three weeks to go. I want to ensure that this problem goes away permanently and does not flare up again. Desperate as I am to get back on the field, I will only come back when I am ready."

The 24-year-old Wilkinson has had problems with his neck and shoulder for the past two seasons and spent some time on the sidelines this time last year.

Wilkinson said during the World Cup that he gets what he called "stingers" after taking a knock on a certain point at the top of his shoulder, and there was a fear last week that he had suffered a stress fracture.

The England defence coach Phil Larder admitted last month that he sometimes blanched at the ferocity of Wilkinson's tackling but said there was no holding back the outhalf, even in training sessions.

"I have never known a player in his position to tackle so hard or so keenly," said Larder. But England know their most prized asset will need to be carefully managed over the coming months if he is not to fulfil predictions of burning out long before he reaches 30.