“But, fingers crossed, moving his arms and legs is obviously a very, very good sign.”
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Two-time World Cup-winning Wallabies legend Tim Horan added: “It wasn’t a great sign that he was holding the green whistle. That shows he was in a lot of pain.”
Lolesio’s injury occurred almost exactly 24 hours after fellow Wallabies star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was escorted off the field, also on a medicab and in a neck brace, during another Australian derby between his NSW Waratahs and the Queensland Reds in Sydney.
Suaalii was knocked out after copping an accidental knee to the head from his Waratahs and Wallabies teammate Andrew Kellaway.
Waratahs coach Dan McKellar said post-match Suaalii went home with his parents in a “groggy” concussed state.
Concerned Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt was also watching on at Allianz Stadium.
While Schmidt’s openly known policy is to not select overseas-bound Wallabies players, Lolesio’s injury ahead of his move to Japan at season’s end could prove another potential huge blow ahead of Australia’s hosting of the British and Irish Lions for a three-Test series this winter.
In a pivotal and seesawing encounter, the Brumbies were elated to jag a bonus point after fulltime when replacement hooker Liam Bowron touched down.
The bonus point vaulted the Brumbies above the Crusaders into second spot in pursuit of a top-three finish to guarantee a home play-off.
“It’s so important,” said Brumbies forward Tom Hooper.
“We knew we couldn’t put the gun in the holster and we needed to keep playing and it was great.”
AAP
