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Saint-Etienne: Uncapped Wallabies rookie Max Jorgensen’s Rugby World Cup is all but over after picking up an ankle injury that is likely to force the Australian team to bring in an emergency replacement for the remainder of the tournament in France.
The Wallabies trained on Wednesday ahead of their must-win match against Wales on Sunday (Monday 5am AEST) when news filtered through of an injury to Jorgensen, who is yet to play a Test for his country.
After coming off a long-term knee injury, Jorgensen, 19, was the bolter in Eddie Jones’ Wallabies squad and would have been eyeing a Test debut against Portugal in Saint-Etienne next week.
However, sources with knowledge of the situation said Jorgensen suffered a serious ankle injury at a behind-closed-doors training session.
Jorgensen went up to catch a high ball and landed badly.
The teenager, who was taken for scans, is suspected to have fractured his fibula. The recovery timeframe for such an injury can range from eight weeks to 16 weeks.
Max Jorgensen during a Wallabies training session in Saint-Etienne.Credit: Getty
Informed sources say Jorgensen is poised to return to Australia to see a specialist and begin rehabilitation.
He is likely to be replaced in the Wallabies squad by a player who is in camp with the Barbarians.
The Barbarians invitational side are playing matches throughout the UK and Ireland concurrently with the World Cup. There are a number of Australian players in the team that the Wallabies could call on, given the side’s proximity to France, if a replacement is needed.
Jorgensen’s Waratahs teammate Dylan Pietsch is the frontrunner to come into the Wallabies squad.
World Cup rules state that if a player is removed from a country’s 33-man squad, they cannot return later in the tournament.
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