6 hours ago
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Australia have suffered a significant setback following confirmation that their first-choice fly-half Noah Lolesio will miss the entire Lions series through injury. Lolesio has undergone surgery on his neck and Wallaby coach Joe Schmidt will now have to select a different playmaker and goalkicker for next week’s first Test in Brisbane.
The two main candidates are Ben Donaldson and Tom Lynagh but Lolesio has started 12 of the last 14 Wallaby Tests under Schmidt and his absence will be keenly felt. Other possible alternatives include the veterans James O’Connor and Bernard Foley, both of whom are 35 and have been plying their trade in New Zealand and Japan respectively.
It is far from ideal for Schmidt, with Lynagh having also had fitness issues lately. The Wallabies’s chances of winning the best-of-three series will be sharply reduced if they are hit by injuries in key positions and, ideally, they need a fly-half capable of outplaying the Lions’ talented number 10 Finn Russell.
It is also rotten luck for Lolesio, who was taken from the field on a medical cart during Sunday’s win over Fiji in Newcastle but was later discharged from hospital. Rugby Australia initially advised that Lolesio had been “cleared of significant damage” but now say he was readmitted for surgery on Tuesday following further medical assessment.
The 25-year-old Lolesio, who has won 30 caps for his country, has had a rough time recently. He suffered a similar issue for the Brumbies against the Western Force in May and has had to leave the field injured in three of his last five games. On this occasion he was hit hard in a legal tackle by Fiji’s Elia Canakaivata and was treated for several minutes before being carried off.
The ARU now say he will be out of the game “for the foreseeable future” but added that he is expected to make a full recovery and play again. “Firstly, we were relieved that Noah was up and moving well when he returned to the team hotel after his initial hospital visit in Newcastle on Sunday,” said Schmidt. “Further to that, it’s an added relief for everyone, especially his family, that successful surgery now has him on the road to recovery.”
Donaldson, who featured at full-back for the Western Force against the Lions, will now be favourite to wear the No 10 jersey in Brisbane on Saturday week. Further options may include Tane Edmed or Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, both of whom have been named in the Australia & New Zealand Invitational XV squad to face the Lions in Adelaide on Saturday.
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