Friday 23 January 2015 14:13, UK
Quade Cooper will be out of action for three months after fracturing a collarbone during training.
The 26-year-old fly-half, who will now miss the start of the Super Rugby season with Queensland Reds, is to have surgery on Tuesday.
Reds coach Richard Graham said: "It's disappointing to lose Quade to such an innocuous collision during a training session but this is the nature of contact sport.
"Fortunately, we've recruited well in the off-season and we're comfortable we have a number of options available to us."
A decision to have surgery was made on Friday following a scan, as well as a consultation with the team’s surgeon.
And Cooper, who missed 16 weeks last year due to a shoulder problem, said in a statement: "Iinjury setbacks are something you learn to deal with and this isn't the first time I've had to come back from something like this.
"There's a lot of excitement among the group for the season, so it's good motivation for me to give myself every chance of getting back on the field as soon as possible."
Cooper, who joined Reds eight years ago, has made more than 50 international appearances for Australia and will be hoping to be fit for this year's World Cup in the northern hemisphere.
