Toomua to miss remainder of Spring Tour, Betham to join squad

Nov 20 • Australia, General News, International • 3002 Views • Comments Off on Toomua to miss remainder of Spring Tour, Betham to join squad

Qantas Wallabies centre Matt Toomua will miss the remaining two matches of Australia’s Spring Tour due to a hamstring injury, while NSW Waratahs winger Peter Betham will join the squad in Scotland later this week.

Scans on Tuesday revealed Toomua had suffered a low-grade hamstring strain following training, meaning he will now be unavailable for upcoming matches against Scotland at Murrayfield and Wales at Millennium Stadium.

Qantas Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie said it was a disappointing blow for the talented 23-year-old playmaker, who had been a standout in his debut Test season, earning 10 caps and more recently cemented his role in the number 12 jersey during the opening three games of the Spring Tour.

With Toomua unavailable, Betham, who earned his Qantas Wallabies debut in the third Bledisloe Cup Test against New Zealand in October, will provide valuable backline cover for the squad.

“Matt has had a fantastic season and has done a terrific job for the Qantas Wallabies in a new position,” McKenzie said.

“It’s extremely disappointing to lose him at this point and not have him available for our final two games.

“However, he’s shown all the positive attributes we want in our players and are looking forward to seeing him use his international experience to continue his development during the Super Rugby competition next year.”

The loss comes a day after fellow centre Tevita Kuridrani received a five-week suspension for an alleged dangerous tackle in Saturday night’s Test against Ireland at Aviva Stadium.

The Australian Rugby Union will wait to receive a written judgement today before considering its options.

Kuridrani was charged under Law 10.4 (j) which states ‘Lifting a player from the ground and dropping or driving that player into the ground whilst that player’s feet are still off the ground such that the player’s head and/or upper body come into contact with the ground is dangerous play’.