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From ABC
Chris Latham looks set to return to the Wallabies line-up sooner than expected with Julian Huxley ruled out of this weekend's Bledisloe Cup decider in New Zealand because of an injury sustained after the Brumbies' post-season dinner.
Huxley has a badly bruised thigh after an incident involving Brumbies team-mate Gene Fairbanks.
No further disciplinary action will be taken over the matter.
Wallabies coach John Connolly says it could mean an early return to international rugby for Latham, who missed the Super 14 season with a knee injury.
"We have a couple of options there and there's a lot of debate as to whether he's (Latham) ready to go back," he said.
"Obviously he's got the class, he is playing (in club rugby), rustiness is the issue.
"So we have a couple of issues but we can either put Adam Ashley-Cooper back or we can play Chris Latham and so we'll probably finalise that tomorrow night."
Connolly said he was annoyed that preparations for Saturday's match had been disrupted.
"We're frustrated that seven days out from arguably one of the biggest games that some of these players have played in, a Bledisloe Cup Tri-Nations decider, that someone stays out late and puts themself in a position to get injured," he said.
So does Shepherd even get a mention? How has he been doing the past couple weeks in club rugby. I didn't get a chance to catch his couple games with Australia A but I heard he struggled a bit, but I would have thought he'd be back up to speed by now. I know Latham is world class at full back but it would be typical that another Force player is left out for someone from the eastern states. The selectors were probably happy to see Shepherd go down so they didn't have to worry about picking him.
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Originally Posted by The Lone Hydrangea
