The Brumbies have dodged a preseason bullet with Wallabies hooker Folau Fainga'a cleared of serious damage after appearing to injure his right ankle at training on Tuesday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Fainga'a heard a pop when he went down in the incident, and was helped from the field in a motorised cart, but scan results have confirmed no major injury was sustained. Coaching staff are hopeful he'll be able to rejoin preseason training by the end of this week.
The 26-year-old only returned to Brumbies training this week, after a two-month break following the Wallabies Spring Tour of the United Kingdom.
He started in three of the four matches the Wallabies played on that tour, which included a win over Japan en route to Great Britain.
A host of Wallabies returned to Brumbies headquarters on Monday, to ramp up preparations ahead of their round one clash against the Western Force on February 19, including captain Allan Alaalatoa.
Despite losing all three matches in the United Kingdom over the spring, Alaalatoa said the Wallabies were building strongly towards next year's Rugby World Cup.
MORE CANBERRA SPORT
"We learned a lot of tough lessons which I think is going to put us in good stead moving forward," Alaalatoa said.
"What was special about that group was our culture and the connection we're building off the field was correlated to the way we were performing on the field.
"It was just little things we spoke about last December that we need to grow on and be better.
"There's a great relationship between the players and the coaches, there's a great alignment. That connection is special to have and relates to the way the boys are connecting off the field.
"[I'm] just looking forward to what the boys who get selected in that team can do pushing forward."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
