Jordan Petaia’s highly anticipated Test debut may have to wait until the Rugby World Cup after the 19-year-old rookie flew home from a Wallabies training camp in New Caledonia and was ruled out of next weekend’s match against Samoa with a hamstring injury
Wallabies officials confirmed on Wednesday Petaia would fly back to Australia to have scans on a hamstring injury he suffered while making a diving tackle at training in Noumea.
The early word is that the injury is not serious enough to rule Petaia out of the upcoming World Cup, which begins in just over three weeks.
However, the Queensland Reds utility back won’t take the field against Samoa next Saturday at Bankwest Stadium in what many believed would be the perfect time to blood him before the World Cup.
Team medical staff have taken an ultra-cautious approach with Petaia given his injury history. A hamstring tweak on last year’s spring tour cost him a Test debut against Italy, while he featured in just two Super Rugby games this season due to a Lisfranc (foot) injury.
Last week Petaia became the youngest Australian player to be named in a Wallabies World Cup squad.
Meanwhile, winger Marika Koroibete has joined the squad after family commitments in Melbourne. Nick Phipps and Harry Johnson-Holmes are also set to fly in as train-on members for the camp that continues until the middle of next week before the Samoa Test.
Former Wallabies captain George Gregan has been in Noumea helping halfbacks Nic White and Will Genia, as well as keeping an eye on their intense training sessions.
Players have been rising at about 5.30am for long training days as the group prepares to increase fitness and skill levels before their World Cup opener against Fiji on September 21 in Sapporo.
"It’s very Michael Cheika-like and it’s right up there in terms of intensity," said back-rower Jack Dempsey. "We’re up at the crack of dawn. We’ve had our head down most of the time working hard and training hard. The boys are really making some big gains while we have the time."