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Qantas Wallabies vice captain Berrick Barnes, 23, has been ruled out of the remainder of the team’s Spring Tour of Japan and Europe.
Barnes rolled his ankle at training on Thursday, with an MRI scan late today subsequently revealing that he has suffered a tear of the syndesmosis ligaments in his left ankle.
The injury will require further treatment, and quite possibly surgery, and will sideline the player for several months at least.
Barnes will return to Australia on the first available flight out of Tokyo.
As a result of tonight’s news, Australia Under-20 flyhalf Matt Toomua now becomes a full replacement in the squad, after initially being called up to cover for Barnes in Tuesday night’s tour match against English Premiership club Gloucester.
The 19-year-old Toomua left Sydney for London last night, and will join up with the Qantas Wallabies touring party when the team arrives in the United Kingdom on Sunday afternoon to begin its six match tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Toomua’s presence will give Qantas Wallabies coach Robbie Deans 34 available players to select from for the midweek match. This will allow the coach to minimise the involvement against Gloucester of members of the Test squad involved in tomorrow night’s fourth Bledisloe Cup Test against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Tokyo.
Three players who start in tomorrow night’s Test match in Tokyo will be required for the match night 22 at Gloucester. Deans says these players will only be named on the bench.
The Qantas Wallabies side to play Gloucester will be named on Monday morning (England time).
Toomua has become the second member of the Brumbies to be added to the touring party this week, after midfield back Tyrone Smith was added to the group as replacement for NSW Waratahs back Rob Horne, who tore his hamstring at training.
Toomua represented his country at the Under-20 Rugby World Cup in Japan earlier in the year and is just back from a short stint playing for Western Province in South Africa’s Currie Cup provincial competition.
Earlier this year, he featured in eight matches for the Brumbies senior squad during the 2009 Investec Super 14. This included starts at flyhalf in each of the team’s last four matches. Toomua has played 12 Super rugby matches for the Brumbies thus far in his career.
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