Noah Lolesio has been cleared of a spinal fracture after a suffering a scary neck injury that saw him stretchered off the field and taken to hospital in Perth on Saturday night.
Lolesio was taken from the field a neck brace after getting caught awkwardly in a ruck in the Brumbies 33-14 win over the Western Force at HBF Park. Attempting to clean out over fullback Tom Wright, Lolesio was pushed backwards by several Force forwards, with one landing on him accidentally as Lolesio’s neck was pinned forward on his chest.
The Wallabies no.10 was in clear pain on the field and was taken off amid concern he may have suffered a fracture in his spine, but he was able to move his arms and legs.
“He’s in the hospital at the moment, about to go in for scans. He’s got feeling, he’s got movement, it all looks very positive,” Larkham said post-game. “But obviously it was a very nasty injury.”
Fortunately, scans showed no fractures, the Brumbies confirmed on Sunday morning. Lolesio left hospital and returned to team hotel in the early hours on Sunday morning and, if cleared, will travel back with the Brumbies to Canberra on Sunday afternoon.
Noah Lolesio of the Brumbies is stretchered from the field.Credit: Getty Images
The early diagnosis is that Lolesio suffered painful ligament damage in his back but it is not known how long that will keep him out of action.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt, who was in Newcastle watching the Wallaroos on Saturday, will have been among the concerned viewers watching on. The Brumbies playmaker will have also featured heavily in Schmidt’s plans for the upcoming Lions series.
