Waratahs' crises worsen as Sitaleki Timani and Pat McCutcheon join the injuries list – Rugby News
Waratahs’ crises have gone from bad to worse after the duo, Sitaleki Timani and Pat McCutcheon got injured during the previous clash against Western Force, last weekend.
Second-rower, Timani, sustained a hand injury which may end his current season of Super Rugby. He will undergo a scan today along with Pat McCutcheon, to determine the severity of the injury.
Waratahs have been struck by a number of set-backs in the ongoing Super Rugby competition. Their tight-head prop, Sekope Kepu could not participate in the complete match and left the field mid-way, due to calf muscle stretching. He was later cleared to participate
in the next match.
Fresh injuries have really put Waratahs on the back-foot, after the team is now without their skipper Phil Waugh, along with Tatafu Polota-Nau and Wycliff Palu.
Coach, Graham Hickey, confirmed the news and said that Timani has been struck by Bennett’s fracture, which could take more than three weeks to recover. He added that his hand’s bone was displaced during last competition and it looked very bad initially,
but scans would tell the real story.
He argued and said, "It's a week-by-week proposition, if we get to three weeks and it's still not right it could be four or five but initially they thought he may have to have surgery but that doesn't appear to be the case.”
Hickey praised the injured player for his effort against Western Force. He said that Timani was looking to be in good nick and was hoping for his quick recovery. The coach added that upcoming matches are important, as the semi-final stages are round the
corner. Waratahs have currently been placed on sixth overall position, in the recent Super Rugby championship. To secure a berth in the semi-final, Waratahs need to end their round matches in the four top sides of the tournament.
While speaking about McCutcheon, Hickey said that he was diagnosed with syndesmosis and is likely to miss the rest of the season. Graham asserted that he was looking towards club rugby, to fill the vacuum created by injured players.
The coach shifted his conversation and said, “We're going to have to look into club rugby again to fill the squad. We have been in a hard place for the past couple of weeks with injuries and great credit to the players like Johnny Ulugia who've gone out
there and really performed for us.”
Hickey was still hopeful that his side could perform well in the upcoming matches, despite large- scale injuries to his squad. They are having a bye during current week, so they will face Lions on May 21, in their next match of Super Rugby competition.
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