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Wallabies centre Len Ikitau will miss the Bledisloe Cup matches against New Zealand but could still take his place at the World Cup after suffering a shoulder injury while scoring in the Test against Argentina.
A Wallabies spokesman confirmed Ikitau suffered a a fractured scapula with a 6-8 week estimated recovery timeline. The Wallabies opening World Cup match against Georgia in Paris is eight weeks away and with a seven week tournament, Eddie Jones would be expected to pick the star Brumby.
Ikitau did extremely well to cross out wide under intense pressure after just five minutes.
The move was sparked when Mark Nawaqanitawase took a quick tap from a penalty to put the Argentina defence in disarray.
After scoring, Ikitau sat on the turf clutching his shoulder and while he played on for another 10 minutes, he succumbed to the injury.
Soon after departing the field, replaced by Carter Gordon, Ikitau was on the bench with his right arm in a sling and his face a picture of misery. Ikitau, who had played the past 13 Tests for Australia, was taken by private car to hospital for scans.
Eddie Jones said the injury looked serious and will be relieved that Ikitau should play some role at the France World Cup.
The loss was also an unsettling one for Jones, who went into the game with a 6-2 bench split – Gordon and Tate McDermott the only backs on the bench. On Thursday Jones was asked if a 6-2 was a risk.
“There’s an element of risk when you got five-three too. So I don’t understand the question,” Jones said.
Morgan Turinui, on Stan Sport, summed up the issue facing the Wallabies.
“How often do you see it? The one person you can’t lose when you’ve got a 9 and a 10 on the bench is your 13,” said Turinui.
Gordon moved into inside centre next to flyhalf Quade Cooper and was immediately into the fray – he picked up a loose ball and was cut down just short of the Argentina tryline by Lucio Cinti.
He was also involved in an awkward defensive moment with Cooper as the pair got in each other’s way and another issue was saved when Gordon bobbed up with the loose ball.
“What we saw after Len Ikitau left the field, Samu Kerevi, moving out to 13, no problem there in attack but we saw defensively two or three times the Argentinian attack have got around the edge of Samu Kerevi. That’s a challenge for the centre pairing.
Jones will have several options to mull over should he need to replace Ikitau. Izzy Perese could find himself back in contention, while Andrew Kellaway, expected back from injury in the next couple of weeks, Jordie Petaia and Reece Hodge are all options.
“It’s obviously a massive loss for us, but Carter’s done really well when he’s come on,” said Hodge at halftime.
“I think you’ll see Carter and Samu interchange between 12 and 13 in attack and defence. The boys are across their detail, so I’m sure they’ll be fine in the second half.”