Wallabies lose Ikitau and Petaia to injury after 50-19 Bledisloe Cup defeat in Auckland

Australia’s injury problems deepened after their 50-19 first-Test defeat to the All Blacks at Eden Park in Auckland, with centre Len Ikitau ruled out of next weekend’s second Bledisloe Cup Test at Accor Stadium in Sydney following a head knock.

Ikitau left the field on the 30-minute mark and did not return, leaving Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Isaac Henry to finish the match as the Wallabies’ midfield combination. The pair could be asked to back up in Sydney, with experienced centre options now thin on the ground.

The selection headaches do not end there for head coach Les Kiss. Jordan Petaia, who had yet to take the field since being named in the Bledisloe Cup squad, will also miss the Sydney clash after picking up an ankle injury in training.

Kiss has moved quickly to address the gaps, calling up ACT Brumbies duo Corey Toole and Kadin Pritchard to replace the injured pair. Both players are set to join the Wallabies squad in Sydney on Sunday.

One piece of positive news for Australia is the availability of Rob Valetini for the second Test, despite a tackle on All Blacks winger Leroy Carter that drew scrutiny. Carter had charged towards the Wallabies’ line when Valetini stretched to make a last-ditch intervention, with the Brumbies loose-forward’s weight landing on the back of the All Black. Carter was helped from the field and will not feature at Accor Stadium.

The All Blacks have also been forced into changes of their own ahead of the Sydney rematch. Anton Segner and Asafo Aumua have both been ruled out through head injury assessment protocols after clashing heads during a tackle in the second half at Eden Park. Ethan Blackadder, who was not in the match-day 23 for the first Test, also went down the tunnel during the warm-up with a calf injury.

Dave Rennie’s side have called up Du’Plessis Kirifi, George Bell, Jamie Hannah, and Anton Lienert-Brown to bolster their squad for the second Test.