Lolesio's Lions hopes not over after second neck scare in eight weeks
Lolesio was cleared of any serious injury and rejoined his Wallabies teammates in the team hotel in Newcastle on Sunday evening and will be monitored by medical staff during the next three days in Brisbane before a final decision is made on his fitness for the Lions Test series.
Lolesio made a break on the hour mark on Sunday and was tackled by Fiji breakaway Elia Canakaivata, with his head hitting the turf with force, leading to the five-eighth leaving the field in a neck brace.
It has been eight weeks since Lolesio left the field for the Brumbies on a medicab, after being caught awkwardly in a ruck against the Western Force in Perth. Lolesio was similarly discharged from the hospital after scans showed no fractures to his neck.
Force playmaker Ben Donaldson replaced Lolesio against Fiji and Reds five-eighth Tom Lynagh also remains in contention to face the Lions for the Wallabies.
The Brumbies have named their squad to take on the Lions on Wednesday in Canberra, with dry conditions forecast for the capital after Lions coach Andy Farrell accused the Waratahs of watering the Allianz Stadium surface on Saturday.
The Brumbies finished as the strongest Australian Super Rugby side this year, reaching the semi-finals, before losing to the Chiefs in Hamilton.
Coach Stephen Larkham has been forced to name a weakened side with eight of his frontline players having played for the Wallabies against Fiji on Sunday.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
More changes as Matildas aim to rebound from shock loss
Joe Montemurro has promised to ring in the changes yet again as his inexperienced Matildas attempt to bounce back to form in Tuesday night's rematch with Panama in Perth. Panama, ranked a lowly 56th in the world, produced one of their greatest wins on Saturday win beating the 15th-ranked Matildas 1-0 in Bunbury. Montemurro, in his first international window as Matildas coach, had made a whopping 10 changes to his starting line-up for that match, and introduced four debutants off the bench. It's all part of his wider plan to gain more insight into the depth in Australian women's football, and to see who can adapt to his possession-based game style. Montemurro's reign started with a 3-0 win and a 1-1 draw against Slovenia before the shock loss to Panama. The Matildas have looked disjointed in all three games, but Montemurro is confident the short-term pain will lead to long-term gain. Australia entered the current international window without mainstays like Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry and Clare Wheeler. Ellie Carpenter, Mackenzie Arnold, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Sharn Freier exited the squad after the Slovenia series, while Amy Sayer and Charli Grant were rested for Saturday's loss to Panama. Sayer and Grant are expected to come in for Tuesday's game at HBF Park, but Alex Chidiac, Emily Gielnik and Kaitlyn Torpey have left to rejoin their respective clubs. In an added blow for the Matildas, goalkeeper Teagan Micah has been ruled out of the final match of the international window after suffering whiplash in making a save on Saturday. Montemurro doesn't view the shock 1-0 loss to Panama as a disaster, but says fans can expect more changes on Tuesday. "You don't lose, you learn," Montemurro said on Monday when asked about the surprise defeat. "It's a perfect opportunity to learn, because it's not a do-or-die game. It's not a game that we are going to lose points on or lose our status in a competition situation. "I haven't really looked at it as a loss. I looked at it as more information for us to go forward. "Obviously when you make a lot of changes like that, there is going to be a little bit of instability. "But I still have belief in the process, I still have belief in the way going forward, and we've got a bank of information that will help us going forward." Montemurro is looking for his players to display more football intelligence on Tuesday. And although the current window is more about information gathering and the implementation of a new game style, he wants to end it with a win. "We want to create the culture, we want to create the standards, we want to create an idea of football," Montemurro said. "And obviously there will be a wider, extended look at where we are, where we're going with the squad - but we want to do it while we're winning. "So a win is is important, like always." Joe Montemurro has promised to ring in the changes yet again as his inexperienced Matildas attempt to bounce back to form in Tuesday night's rematch with Panama in Perth. Panama, ranked a lowly 56th in the world, produced one of their greatest wins on Saturday win beating the 15th-ranked Matildas 1-0 in Bunbury. Montemurro, in his first international window as Matildas coach, had made a whopping 10 changes to his starting line-up for that match, and introduced four debutants off the bench. It's all part of his wider plan to gain more insight into the depth in Australian women's football, and to see who can adapt to his possession-based game style. Montemurro's reign started with a 3-0 win and a 1-1 draw against Slovenia before the shock loss to Panama. The Matildas have looked disjointed in all three games, but Montemurro is confident the short-term pain will lead to long-term gain. Australia entered the current international window without mainstays like Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry and Clare Wheeler. Ellie Carpenter, Mackenzie Arnold, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Sharn Freier exited the squad after the Slovenia series, while Amy Sayer and Charli Grant were rested for Saturday's loss to Panama. Sayer and Grant are expected to come in for Tuesday's game at HBF Park, but Alex Chidiac, Emily Gielnik and Kaitlyn Torpey have left to rejoin their respective clubs. In an added blow for the Matildas, goalkeeper Teagan Micah has been ruled out of the final match of the international window after suffering whiplash in making a save on Saturday. Montemurro doesn't view the shock 1-0 loss to Panama as a disaster, but says fans can expect more changes on Tuesday. "You don't lose, you learn," Montemurro said on Monday when asked about the surprise defeat. "It's a perfect opportunity to learn, because it's not a do-or-die game. It's not a game that we are going to lose points on or lose our status in a competition situation. "I haven't really looked at it as a loss. I looked at it as more information for us to go forward. "Obviously when you make a lot of changes like that, there is going to be a little bit of instability. "But I still have belief in the process, I still have belief in the way going forward, and we've got a bank of information that will help us going forward." Montemurro is looking for his players to display more football intelligence on Tuesday. And although the current window is more about information gathering and the implementation of a new game style, he wants to end it with a win. "We want to create the culture, we want to create the standards, we want to create an idea of football," Montemurro said. "And obviously there will be a wider, extended look at where we are, where we're going with the squad - but we want to do it while we're winning. "So a win is is important, like always." Joe Montemurro has promised to ring in the changes yet again as his inexperienced Matildas attempt to bounce back to form in Tuesday night's rematch with Panama in Perth. Panama, ranked a lowly 56th in the world, produced one of their greatest wins on Saturday win beating the 15th-ranked Matildas 1-0 in Bunbury. Montemurro, in his first international window as Matildas coach, had made a whopping 10 changes to his starting line-up for that match, and introduced four debutants off the bench. It's all part of his wider plan to gain more insight into the depth in Australian women's football, and to see who can adapt to his possession-based game style. Montemurro's reign started with a 3-0 win and a 1-1 draw against Slovenia before the shock loss to Panama. The Matildas have looked disjointed in all three games, but Montemurro is confident the short-term pain will lead to long-term gain. Australia entered the current international window without mainstays like Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry and Clare Wheeler. Ellie Carpenter, Mackenzie Arnold, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Sharn Freier exited the squad after the Slovenia series, while Amy Sayer and Charli Grant were rested for Saturday's loss to Panama. Sayer and Grant are expected to come in for Tuesday's game at HBF Park, but Alex Chidiac, Emily Gielnik and Kaitlyn Torpey have left to rejoin their respective clubs. In an added blow for the Matildas, goalkeeper Teagan Micah has been ruled out of the final match of the international window after suffering whiplash in making a save on Saturday. Montemurro doesn't view the shock 1-0 loss to Panama as a disaster, but says fans can expect more changes on Tuesday. "You don't lose, you learn," Montemurro said on Monday when asked about the surprise defeat. "It's a perfect opportunity to learn, because it's not a do-or-die game. It's not a game that we are going to lose points on or lose our status in a competition situation. "I haven't really looked at it as a loss. I looked at it as more information for us to go forward. "Obviously when you make a lot of changes like that, there is going to be a little bit of instability. "But I still have belief in the process, I still have belief in the way going forward, and we've got a bank of information that will help us going forward." Montemurro is looking for his players to display more football intelligence on Tuesday. And although the current window is more about information gathering and the implementation of a new game style, he wants to end it with a win. "We want to create the culture, we want to create the standards, we want to create an idea of football," Montemurro said. "And obviously there will be a wider, extended look at where we are, where we're going with the squad - but we want to do it while we're winning. "So a win is is important, like always."


Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
More changes as Matildas aim to rebound from shock loss
Joe Montemurro has promised to ring in the changes yet again as his inexperienced Matildas attempt to bounce back to form in Tuesday night's rematch with Panama in Perth. Panama, ranked a lowly 56th in the world, produced one of their greatest wins on Saturday win beating the 15th-ranked Matildas 1-0 in Bunbury. Montemurro, in his first international window as Matildas coach, had made a whopping 10 changes to his starting line-up for that match, and introduced four debutants off the bench. It's all part of his wider plan to gain more insight into the depth in Australian women's football, and to see who can adapt to his possession-based game style. Montemurro's reign started with a 3-0 win and a 1-1 draw against Slovenia before the shock loss to Panama. The Matildas have looked disjointed in all three games, but Montemurro is confident the short-term pain will lead to long-term gain. Australia entered the current international window without mainstays like Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry and Clare Wheeler. Ellie Carpenter, Mackenzie Arnold, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Sharn Freier exited the squad after the Slovenia series, while Amy Sayer and Charli Grant were rested for Saturday's loss to Panama. Sayer and Grant are expected to come in for Tuesday's game at HBF Park, but Alex Chidiac, Emily Gielnik and Kaitlyn Torpey have left to rejoin their respective clubs. In an added blow for the Matildas, goalkeeper Teagan Micah has been ruled out of the final match of the international window after suffering whiplash in making a save on Saturday. Montemurro doesn't view the shock 1-0 loss to Panama as a disaster, but says fans can expect more changes on Tuesday. "You don't lose, you learn," Montemurro said on Monday when asked about the surprise defeat. "It's a perfect opportunity to learn, because it's not a do-or-die game. It's not a game that we are going to lose points on or lose our status in a competition situation. "I haven't really looked at it as a loss. I looked at it as more information for us to go forward. "Obviously when you make a lot of changes like that, there is going to be a little bit of instability. "But I still have belief in the process, I still have belief in the way going forward, and we've got a bank of information that will help us going forward." Montemurro is looking for his players to display more football intelligence on Tuesday. And although the current window is more about information gathering and the implementation of a new game style, he wants to end it with a win. "We want to create the culture, we want to create the standards, we want to create an idea of football," Montemurro said. "And obviously there will be a wider, extended look at where we are, where we're going with the squad - but we want to do it while we're winning. "So a win is is important, like always."


West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Wimbledon: 16-year-old Cruz Hewitt makes debut to remember as father Lleyton Hewitt watches on
Australian tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt has watched from the stands as his 16-year-old son Cruz made a Wimbledon debut to remember. Following in his father's footsteps, but incredibly at a year younger than Lleyton, Hewitt took his highly anticipated first steps on the hallowed grass of The All England Club. And the 16-year-old showed he could be Australian men's tennis' next big thing, cruising past Russian Savva Rybkin, who has only been beaten eight times in his junior career. Hewitt claimed a convincing 6-1, 6-2 victory in the first round of the famed junior tournament, eliciting Lleyton's trademark fist pumps from the player's box. The youngster bears an uncanny resemblance to his father, especially in a back-to-front cap, moving around the court swiftly and utilising powerful groundstrokes. Lleyton featured in the junior draw at Wimbledon in 1998 at 17 years old before going on to win two Grand Slams, one on the famed grass in 2002, less than a year after his first at the 2001 US Open. Hewitt Snr remains the last Australian man to claim a Grand Slam title and is the current coach of Australia's Davis Cup team, which he represented when they won their last title in 2003. His son will next face Finnish 11th seed Oskari Paldanius on Tuesday.