The Wallabies are facing a back-row crisis with the latest news that Pete Samu will miss the remainder of the Rugby Championship.
Samu hyper-extended his knee in the 23-19 defeat to Argentina on the Gold Coast on Saturday.
The 26-year-old had scans on his knee in Canberra after returning to the Brumbies at their base for the first time, with the results revealing he would be sidelined for at least a month.
After fellow loose forward Lukhan Tui said he was unlikely to play for the Wallabies again this year so as to spend time with his family in the wake of losing his step-father last week, news of Samu’s withdrawal from the squad leaves an even bigger hole in the back-row.
As things stand, Ned Hanigan and Caleb Timu appear to be in a two-horse race to join Michael Hooper and David Pocock in the loose trio for the Wallabies’ next match against South Africa at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on September 29.