Brumbies lose Pritchard, Tualima and Mickelson for rest of 2026 Super Rugby season

The Brumbies have been dealt a significant injury blow ahead of the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs, with three players ruled out for the remainder of the 2026 season and a fourth facing a race to be fit in time for the knockout rounds.

Centre Kadin Pritchard, 21, has been sidelined by a high-grade hamstring injury that cuts short what had been a breakout campaign. He had been named to start at No.13 for Saturday’s clash with Moana Pasifika in Canberra — what would have been his 13th appearance of the season — but has been replaced in the line-up by Hudson Creighton.

Hooker Chris Mickelson suffered an ACL tear in his Super Rugby debut against the Western Force, leaving the field just eight minutes into the match. The 23-year-old had managed to score a try before sustaining the injury, and his 2026 season is now over.

Loose forward Tuaina Taii Tualima has also undergone shoulder surgery and will not feature again for the Brumbies. His absence doubles as a farewell, with the player set to join French D2 club Colomiers. “Tuaina is a great player and a really top-class person. Everyone at the Brumbies wishes him and his family all the very best as he takes the next step in his rugby journey,” head coach Stephen Larkham said.

Outside back Ollie Sapsford is not out for the season but is facing a 2-4 week lay-off with a knee injury, leaving his availability for the qualifying finals in doubt.

The Brumbies’ match against Moana Pasifika on Saturday carries added weight in the context of playoff seeding. A top-four finish and a home qualifying final are no longer possible, but the club can still influence whether they finish fifth or sixth — a distinction that determines whether they travel to Hamilton to face the Chiefs or to Wellington to face the table-topping Hurricanes in next week’s knockout round. The highest-seeded loser of those qualifying finals will advance to the semi-finals as the lucky loser, giving Saturday’s result further significance.