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The Queensland Reds and the ACT Brumbies will battle it out under the lights of Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night, and one team will…
The Brumbies have been dealt a huge blow on their South African tour with winger Henry Speight ruled out for up to eight weeks with a fractured bone above his eye.
Speight sustained the injury when he collided heads with teammate Christian Lealiifano in the 35th minute of their match against the Stormers on Sunday morning. Speight attempted to play through the pain, but was taken off the field two minutes later and did not return.
The Fijian-born 27-year old had x-rays immediately after the match which revealed a fracture which may require surgery. He will fly back to Canberra in the next few days to meet with surgeons who will assess the damage.
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Speight was the only try scorer against the Stormers, diving over seven minutes before the incident.
“It’s a shame to lose Henry, he’s obviously a world-class winger,” head coach Stephen Larkham said.
“At this stage it looks like he may be out for eight weeks which would be around the same time we take on the Rebels in Round 12, but we will have to wait for further advice.
“He’s remaining positive and will be doing everything he can to get back on the field as soon as possible.”
Brumbies have called upon Lausii Taliauli to replace Speight, he will fly to South Africa today to join the squad.
“Lausii will train with the rest of the squad this week as we prepare for the Cheetahs match,” Larkham said.
“We also have Nigel Ah Wong, Robbie Coleman and James Dargaville here now and a decision on Henry’s replacement for this Saturday’s match will be made later this week.”
“With Henry’s commitment to the Australian Sevens program this year we knew we were going to have to make arrangements for his absence.
“While the injury isn’t ideal, it is something we’ve planned for.”
Speight’s replacement will be revealed later this week ahead of their second match of their South African tour against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
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