Rugby Australia meets with Rebels players to discuss options if Super Rugby franchise is culled
As Rugby Australia crawls towards deciding on whether to hand back the Super Rugby license to the Melbourne Rebels, the governing body has begun…
Ben McCalman suffered a season-ending injury on Saturday against England and will miss the third Test match of the series. The Wallabies and Western Force number 8 will also miss the remaining Super Rugby games with an initial prediction of six weeks on the sidelines.
The 28-year-old fractured his right scapular during his 30-minute stint against England in Melbourne, he replaced Sean McMahon in the 50th minute and played through to full time.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika called Queensland Reds number 8 Leroy Houston into the squad as cover, he joins Wycliff Palu, Sean McMahon and Liam Gill in the battle to secure a spot in the matchday 23.
The loss of McCalman is just another blow for the Wallabies in this forgettable Cook Cup series, with first choice number 8 David Pocock being ruled out after the first Test.
“I’ll probably make a couple of changes, I would have always thought I might make a couple each game to have a look at guys who are vying for spots,” Cheika said.
Australia are desperately trying to avoid a series whitewash, with the final Test to be played in front of a sold out crowd at Moore Park on Saturday.
McCalman should recover in time for the opening round of the Rugby Championship in August, where the Wallabies will host the first Bledisloe at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.
Looking ahead to the remaining Super Rugby fixtures, the Western Force have a tough run home and will certainly miss having their stalwart in their forward pack.
The Force will face the Cheetahs in South Africa before travelling back to Perth to host the Stormers. Their final game is against the Brumbies in Canberra on the 16th of July.
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