Super Rugby 2020: Queensland Reds’ Jordan Petaia suffers season-ending shoulder injury
In the latest gutpunch for the brightest young star in Australian rugby, Queensland Reds star Jordan Petaia has suffered another devastating injury setback.
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Jordan Petaia’s season for the Queensland Reds is over in a devastating blow that will spill over into missing the opening Tests for the Wallabies.
Scans on Tuesday revealed the news the Reds and Wallabies had been dreading with his dislocated left shoulder requiring a full reconstruction.
The surgery and rehabilitation is forecast to keep him sidelined for up to five months which rules him out of the Reds’ remaining 13 games.
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It will ground him for the July 4 Test against Ireland at Suncorp Stadium before a conservative return to play is possible sometime during the four-month domestic schedule that follows for the Wallabies.
Queensland’s brightest young gun was grounded by a collision injury at Reds’ training in Argentina last week.
He was forced out of the Super Rugby clash against the Jaguares in Buenos Aires on Sunday morning but stayed on with the team for their flight back into Brisbane on Monday night.
The 19-year-old outside centre popped his shoulder making a tackle at the end of the heaviest contact session of the Reds’ training week.
Reds coach Brad Thorn suggested a grave scenario at the time.
“We’re gutted for Jordan,” Thorn said.
Five months on the sidelines ruins another domestic season after just two matches.
The injury curse has again floored Petaia, who played just 95 minutes of Super Rugby last year before a tricky mid-foot ligament tear ended his campaign.
He finally battled back from a hamstring problem to make an exciting try-scoring Test debut against Uruguay at the Rugby World Cup where he also faced Georgia and England.
Petaia shaped as a certain starter at outside centre for the Wallabies this season but, instead, new coach Dave Rennie has his first major injury to deal with.
Originally published as Super Rugby 2020: Queensland Reds’ Jordan Petaia suffers season-ending shoulder injury