Queensland Reds number 8 Jake Schatz is set to miss at least a month of Super Rugby with a medial ligament injury suffered in the side's loss to the Bulls.
Schatz was an early casualty in the Reds' 41-22 loss to the Bulls, injuring his knee in just the third minute of the match.
The 25-year-old was walking freely post-match but the severity of the injury became clearer in the hours after the match.
He will fly back to Brisbane immediately, slated to miss four to six weeks with the injury.
Queensland has only just recently put their strongest side together with the recent returns of Liam Gill and James Slipper to the lineout and while Schatz has not been a standout, his experience will be missed in the Reds side.
Young flanker Michael Gunn will fly to Cape Town this week, linking with Queensland ahead of their match against the Stormers, the final leg of their South Africa tour.
Queensland has one win from the opening eight rounds of Super Rugby.
