Wallabies skipper Rocky Elsom is facing another lay-off after injuring his ankle in his first game back for ACT Brumbies.
Ankle sprain gives Wallaby coach headache ahead of World Cup
Wallabies skipper Rocky Elsom looks likely to miss the rest of the season after injuring his ankle in his first game back for ACT Brumbies at the weekend.
Elsom was making his comeback against Western Force when he was injured, after spending six months on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
Scans on Monday confirmed that the 28-year-old flanker had sustained a syndesmosis injury, or high ankle sprain.
Although the Brumbies are yet to rule him out of Saturday's match against the Stormers, it looks increasingly unlikely he will feature, meaning that Elsom could well have played his last match for the franchise.
The Brumbies, who have twice been Super rugby champions, have just four more matches to play and no hope of making the play-offs.
Major concern
And Elsom, whose contract with the Brumbies and Australian Rugby Union (ARU) expires at the end of the year, is yet to decide on his future.
The injury will also come as a major concern for Wallabies coach Robbie Deans with less than four months to go to the World Cup in New Zealand.
Before that Australia play a Test against Samoa in Sydney on July 17 and four Tri Nations Tests against New Zealand and South Africa beginning on July 23.
But, with influential back-row Wycliff Palu and high-class backs Rod Davies, Drew Mitchell, Peter Hynes,and Rob Horne already out with long-term injuries, the loss of Elsom will be another blow to Deans' preparations.
A spokesman for the Brumbies said Elsom would meet with doctors on Tuesday to discuss the diagnosis.
