Australia winger Joseph Suaalii will miss New South Wales Waratahs’ Super Rugby Pacific clash against the Canterbury Crusaders next week due to concussion after he was stretchered off in his side’s 28-21 loss to the Queensland Reds on Friday.
Suaalii sustained a blow to the head just before halftime when he collided with teammate Andrew Kellaway at Sydney Football Stadium, but Waratahs coach Dan McKellar said the 21-year-old had not required hospitalisation after the incident.
“We’ve got access to vision and the analyst told me pretty quickly that he’d got a knee to the head,” McKellar told Australian media. “The medical staff were on there quickly and gave him the support that he needed.
“He’s with his mum and dad now back home, so he’ll be OK. Obviously he just gave everyone a fright; you don’t want to see any player down on the ground, knocked out.”
Suaalii joined the Waratahs this season after making a high-profile switch from rugby league’s Sydney Roosters and is expected to feature prominently when Australia take on the British and Irish Lions in July and August.
He will be sidelined for a minimum of 12 days due to concussion protocols in place in Super Rugby.