Brumbies sweat over star lock's fitness
INJURY UPDATE: A worrying injury to Rory Arnold is just another headache for Brumbies coach Dan McKellar after a loss to Queensland he admitted was hard to watch at times on Sunday.
Lock Arnold lasted just 12 minutes in the 14-36 loss to the Reds at Suncorp Stadium, walking off with his arm gingerly tucked into his stomach.
“[It was a] stinger, he lost all strength in his shoulder, wasn’t able to catch line-outs or lift,” McKellar said.
“Hopefully it won’t be too serious.”
The Brumbies line-out and rolling maul faltered in Arnold’s absence, with the Reds scoring late to grab a bonus point win and edge within a point of the Brumbies.
The ACT side remain in third in the Australian conference as a result but could’ve shot to the top with a win as they brace for a tough month following next week’s bye.
A trip to Christchurch to play the Crusaders is followed by a home game against the Lions, before clashes with the Stormers in Cape Town and Jaguares in Buenos Aires.
McKellar hopes Test prop Allan Alaalatoa [wrist] will be fit for their next game but admits he and David Pocock [calf], who also missed Sunday’s loss, is no guarantee of returning.
“The bye will help, hopefully we’ll have Allan back, potentially David and not sure on Rory yet,” he mused.
“And at some stage we’re going to have to rest some of our Wallabies players as well.
“That’s all ahead of us. It’s a juggling act.”
One upside was prop James Slipper’s performance in his first return to Brisbane since the former Reds’ captain’s suspension and subsequent departure after twice testing positive for cocaine and revealing his battle with depression.
“He’s such a great bloke, Slips, he deserves good things to happen,” McKellar said.
“I think everyone would be pleased, the Reds included, that he’s playing at this level again.”
AAP
