Smith ruled out of tests

Australia flanker George Smith will miss the Wallabies‘ Tests against Wales and England over the next two weeks after sustaining nerve damage to his neck during their 45-16 victory over Ireland in Perth on Saturday.

Smith was replaced by NSW Waratahs forward Phil Waugh in the 67th minute of the game and an MRI scan today confirmed the extent of the injury.

Waugh is now expected to take the openside flanker spot for the Test against Wales in Sydney this Saturday and also against England in Melbourne a week later.

Wallaby coach Eddie Jones has drafted in Queensland’s David Croft and Daniel Heenan as cover and, with NSW backs Mat Rogers and Matthew Burke returning to the squad after successfully completing club matches at the weekend to prove their fitness, he may well be tempted to make a few changes to his side.

After the drubbing handed out to Ireland, Jones was non-committal on his line-up for the Welsh game.

“It’s too early to say and we’ll have a look at the videos before we make any decisions,” he told PA International.

With winger Wendell Sailor suffering from rib cartilage damage he may well give NSW‘s Lote Tuqiri his full Test debut.

This will allow Sailor the chance to fully recover in preparation for the bigger task against Clive Woodward’s England a week later.