No major spinal damage for Wallabies centre Foketi, Waratahs coach says
Wallabies centre Lalakai Foketi has been cleared of any major spinal damage after a serious training injury, but New South Wales Waratahs coach Darren Coleman said on Friday it was still possible it could mean the end of the 29-year-old’s career.
Foketi, a powerful centre who played in Australia’s ill-fated campaign at the 2023 World Cup, received lengthy medical treatment at the Waratahs’ training ground on Thursday before being taken to hospital. “The CAT scan was positive. “He had that yesterday and it showed no major spinal damage, no vertebral cracks or
things like that,” Coleman told reporters.
“He’s just got to stay in a little bit longer now to have an MRI.
“That’ll determine what sort of soft-tissue damage there is around ligaments (and) if there’s been any bleeding around the spinal cord.
“He’s by no stretch out of the woods yet, but the first news is pretty positive that there won’t be anything too permanent or debilitating.
“All going well he’ll be in a neck brace and released today.
“He’s keen to get home and start his road to recovery.
“I really hope for La’s sake that
it’s not a career-threatening thing, but if you’ve got instability in that area, risk and reward need to be taken into consideration.”
Foketi’s misfortune means teenager Max Jorgensen moves into the starting Waratahs team for Saturday’s Super Rugby Pacific round one clash against the Queensland Reds at Brisbane’s Lang Park.
The 19-year-old prodigy, who is returning from injury and was initially named on the bench, will start at fullback with the versatile Joey Walton moving forward to replace Foketi at inside centre.
He’s by no stretch out of the woods yet, but the first news is pretty positive that there won’t be anything too permanent or debilitating