NSW Waratahs winger Lachie Turner’s torn hamstring looks set to require surgery that may rule him out of the entire 2012 Super Rugby season.
This would be a crushing loss to the Tahs’ already-threadbare backline, with Drew Mitchell also extremely unlikely to line up in the Waratahs’ round one clash with the Reds, the loss of the lightning-quick Turner would be crippling to a backline still coming to grips with the loss of playmaker Kurtley Beale.
It has been reported on Monday morning that scans on the ruptured hamstring, suffered in NSW’s 83-5 demolition of Samoa on Friday night, indicate the 24-year-old Wallabies winger will be required to go under the knife and could miss as much as nine months of rugby.
Turner was forcefully cleaned out of a ruck by two opposition players, with the force of the hit tearing his hamstring upon impact.
The likely absence of the two Wallabies wingers means that Michael Foley would have to call on the likes of youngsters Tom Kingston, Brackin Karauria-Henry and Nathan Trist for the two wing positions, although Adam Ashley-Cooper could shift from fullback to fill one of the spots.
Turner has become one of the premier wingers in the competition due to a combination of raw pace, skill and athleticism and the long-term effects of such a serious injury at a relatively young age is of great concern.
The full picture should become clearer later today when the results of the scans are released publicly, with both Waratahs and Wallabies officials nervously awaiting the outcome.
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