News

Mortlock ruled out of Tri-Nations

August 11 2009

The Wallabies have been dealt a heavy blow following news that they will be without their skipper Stirling Mortlock for the remainder of the Tri-Nations series.

An MRI scan has confirmed that the 32-year-old will require an arthroscopy after suffering a lateral cartilage (meniscus) tear in his left knee during Australia's 17-29 loss to South Africa in Cape Town over the weekend.

Mortlock sustained the injury 30 minutes into the match and left the field immediately. He is booked to undergo the procedure, which is also known as keyhole surgery, on Wednesday and is expected to be sidelined for six weeks.

Fellow Tri-Nation's squad member, utility forward Peter Kimlin, is also expected to be out of action for up to six weeks due to an axillary nerve injury in his right shoulder, which was sustained on the recent Brumbies development tour of Europe.

Kimlin, who was capped earlier this year during the two Tests against Italy, is scheduled to undergo an MRI scan on Wednesday, which will be followed by additional nerve conduction studies.

The injuries have necessitated a call for reinforcements, with Brumbies lock Mark Chisholm and the Waratahs back Kurtley Beale being added to the Wallabies squad when it reassembles in Sydney on Thursday.

Chisholm, who played the most recent of his 40 Tests against Wales during last season's end of year tour, had his comeback match for club side Randwick last weekend. Chisholm had been sidelined since early April following the broken wrist he sustained in the Super 14 while playing against the Cheetahs.

The uncapped Beale appeared in twelve of the Waratahs' thirteen matches during the recent Super 14, in what was his third season at that level.

The 20-year-old underlined his versatility by functioning at both fly-half and inside centre for the Waratahs, before switching to full-back for Australia while attending the IRB Junior World Cup in Japan earlier this year.