Brumbies may rest stars
ACT flyer Aidan Toua is hopeful his Super Rugby campaign is still alive as the Brumbies count the costs of a injury nightmare in Brisbane and consider resting players in the last game of the season.
Toua and Kyle Godwin will have scans today to determine the extent of ankle and knee injuries and if they will play again this year, while Chris Alcock is set to miss at least one game after needing stitches to repair a nasty gash in his thigh.
Lock Rory Arnold’s shoulder problem was not thought to be serious, but even so he could be left out of the team to play the Chiefs next weekend as the Brumbies keep one eye on the finals. The four injuries were a bigger blow than a 16-15 loss to the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
Coach Stephen Larkham is weighing up the need to build endof-season momentum for a championship charge and the risk of injury on a trip to Hamilton to play the Chiefs.
The Brumbies have already secured a play-off spot and will host a quarter-final at Canberra Stadium on July 21.
They will play either the Chiefs or Wellington Hurricanes in the first week of the finals regardless of where they finish on the ladder, and that scenario could see the Brumbies rest key players this week.
Toua was hopeful scans would clear him of a serious ankle syndesmosis problem and he would be available to play against either the Chiefs or in the first week of the finals.
‘‘It’s hard to tell at the moment, it’s still pretty stiff but hopefully it’s on the lower end of the spectrum,’’ Toua said.
‘‘It could be season done. But if we get the results back and it looks like it’s not too bad, I’ll be The Canberra Times GETTY IMAGES doing everything I can to be making sure it’s just one week if I’ve got to be out.’’
The Chiefs could also rest stars after their All Blacks representatives return after a draining series against the British and Irish Lions.
Christian Lealiifano was set to play his first game since being diagnosed with leukaemia against the Reds, but was ruled out on the eve of the match because of his hamstring strain.
He could make his comeback against the Chiefs – he previously played for Waikato in New Zealand’s provincial competition – and Larkham will make a decision on his availability in the coming days.
However, it’s unlikely the Brumbies will risk Lealiifano if he is not 100 per cent fit, with Larkham happy to throw the playmaker into a comeback in the quarter final in two weeks.