SYDNEY :Australia suffered a major blow on Tuesday when first-choice flyhalf Noah Lolesio was ruled out of the British & Irish Lions series after undergoing surgery.
Lolesio was taken off the field on a stretcher with his neck in a brace during Australia’s victory over Fiji on Sunday after slamming his head into the turf in a tackle.
“After being initially discharged from hospital on Sunday night, Lolesio was readmitted for surgery this afternoon following a further medical follow-up,” the Wallabies said in a statement.
“He is expected to make a full recovery and will spend a period of time away from the game during his rehabilitation.”
Coach Joe Schmidt, who had started Lolesio in 13 of 15 tests since he took over last year, will name his squad for the three tests against the Lions in late July and August on Friday.
“Firstly, we were relieved that Noah was up and moving well when he returned to the team hotel after his initial hospital visit in Newcastle on Sunday,” the New Zealander said.
“Further to that, it’s an added relief for everyone, especially his family, that successful surgery now has him on the road to recovery.”
Although he was left out of the last World Cup squad by Eddie Jones, Lolesio is a fine goalkicker and relatively experienced international with 30 tests to his name since his debut against New Zealand in 2020.
Schmidt praised the contribution of Lolesio’s replacement Ben Donaldson in the last 20 minutes of the Fiji test on Sunday and also had the inexperienced Tom Lynagh in his squad for that match.
Veteran James O’Connor, who played at flyhalf against the Lions in the 2013 test series, has enjoyed a decent season in Super Rugby at the Canterbury Crusaders this year.
Other than that, however, Schmidt would need to look to the likes of Bernard Foley, who is 35 and has been playing in Japan for five years, to bring some more experience to the playmaker role.
Foley, who earned the nickname Iceman for his clutch placekicking, was recalled to the Wallabies squad after a three-year absence during the 2022 Rugby Championship and played the last of his 76 tests against Ireland in November that year.