Palu out of Rugby Championship

Editor

Australia will be without Wycliff Palu when they travel to South Africa with the number eight still recovering from concussion.

Australia will be without Wycliff Palu when they travel to South Africa with the number eight still recovering from concussion.

The Waratahs back row missed this weekend's win over the Pumas, and he will be absent in Cape Town where the Wallabies have to win to keep their Rugby Championship hopes alive.

In fact the 32-year-old will miss the rest of the competition, with the Australian medical team wanting to avoid taking any risks over his health.

That means that Palu will be taking an extended break, and it's not yet clear when he will be ready to play again.

His absence is the latest in a series of injury blows for the Wallabies, who have also had Tatafu Polota-Nau and Peter Betham ruled out of the remainder of the competition after Saturday's win.

They do have other options at number eight though, with Ben McCalman starting the game against the Pumas, while Scott Higginbotham has impressed off the bench.