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Wallabies star dealt injury blow during Super Rugby suspension

By Online Editors
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images for SUNWOLVES)

The Brumbies may be out of action due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, but squad captain Allan Alaalatoa is expected to be sidelined for longer than most.

The 26-year-old prop broke his arm in his side's 47-14 victory over the Waratahs in Canberra on Sunday, the final match of Super Rugby before the competition was suspended indefinitely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As it remains unclear how many of the Brumbies' scheduled fixtures are set to be cancelled, it also remains unknown how many matches Alaalatoa will miss through injury, if any.

Players who suffer from broken arms usually take up to six weeks to recover.

"The Brumbies can confirm that captain Allan Alaalatoa suffered a broken arm in the match against the Waratahs. Get well soon skip!," the club tweeted late Monday.

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After leaving the field in the first half of his side's bonus-point win, the 37-test Wallaby was seen wearing a sling.

He isn't the only Brumbies star facing a stint on the sidelines, as wing Toni Pulu's season is in jeopardy after re-injuring a troublesome shoulder against the Sunwolves two weeks ago.

"Some players just can't take a trick with injury and luck. TP is unfortunately one of those players," Brumbies head coach Dan McKellar said in the wake of his team's defeat.

"He's an important player in our group. An experienced outside back who was starting to get back to full fitness. Injuries happen and he just needs to get his shoulder fixed and then get back into it. He's still got plenty of good footy ahead of him."

The decision to halt Super Rugby after seven rounds of action came following the New Zealand Government's decision on Saturday to force travellers coming into the country to self-isolate for 14 days.

Australia followed suit with similar measures the next day.

As it stands, the Brumbies currently lie in second place on the overall Super Rugby standings, one point shy of the table-topping Sharks.

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