Mat Rogers, Australia’s back-up playmaker, will undergo knee surgery this week and will miss the last 2006 Tri-Nations rugby international in South Africa.
Scott Staniforth was drafted in on Monday as cover in Australia’s 25-man squad, which leaves on Friday for Johannesburg to fine tune for the September 9 match.
Rogers had already sustained damage to his left knee when he went on as a substitute for Stephen Larkham in Australia’s 34-27 loss to New Zealand in Auckland on August 17.
He said by having the arthroscopic surgery now, he should be fit for Australia’s November tour to Europe.
”I’ve had [the injury] for a couple of weeks and I was hoping it would have pulled up a bit better than it has,” Rogers said. ”I’m disappointed to miss out on the Springboks match because I feel that we’ve got a great chance of winning a Test on their soil, which hasn’t been done for a long time.”
Australia has not won a rugby international in South Africa since 2000, although it did register two home wins over the Springboks in this Tri-Nations campaign.
New Zealand has retained the title and improved to 5-0 after a win in Pretoria on the weekend, while South Africa is 0-4 with two matches remaining. — Sapa-AP