Australia’s inspirational playmaker Stephen Larkham was ruled out of rugby for four to six weeks on Tuesday in a dent to the ACT Brumbies Super 14 hopes and the Wallabies’ Test preparations.
The five-eighth said a scan had revealed he had suffered a grade two hamstring tear in the Brumbies’ loss to the Waratahs last Saturday.
Larkham said he would try to return in time for the final match of the Super 14 regular season against the Christchurch Crusaders in four weeks, but acknowledged such an injury normally required a four- to six-week lay-off.
”There is some hope that I’d be available to play in the final game of the regular season, but conservatively speaking it’s more likely that I’d be fit to return for the semifinal if we happen to qualify,” Larkham told reporters.
The pivot’s absence could prove crucial to a Brumbies team clinging to the fourth and final semifinal spot with a tough run-in to the end of the season.
It will also be a concern to new Wallabies coach John Connolly as he prepares his squad for the first Test of the international season against England on June 11 in Sydney.
Larkham limped from the field in the 12th minute of Sunday night’s 37-14 loss to the Waratahs in Sydney. – Sapa-AFP