NSW Waratahs coach Dan McKellar has little doubt injured star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii will be fit for the British & Irish Lions series.
Suaalii will be out for a month after scans revealed a fracture in his jaw following a nasty head knock in last week's defeat to the Queensland Reds.
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The four-cap Wallaby was already in Daceyville working out as McKellar chatted to reporters, adamant he'll be right to go for the first Test on July 19.
"It's nothing major. It's just a disappointing setback from a Waratahs perspective, but he won't be missing any Test matches or anything like that," he told reporters.
"It's disappointing for Joseph to miss a few games for us and obviously the back end of the year, but I think in terms of what's ahead everyone can take a breath and and relax a little bit.
"He's been able to chew and it's a little bit of discomfort, but it wasn't like your typical fractured jaw where there's blood and clear separation It's minor and there's no rewiring or anything like that that needs to occur...if you walked in here, he's talking and doing everything normally like it's So now he's good as gold."
Suaalii's absence sees 2024 Wallabies debutant Darby Lancaster start for the first time since Round Seven.
Lancaster has made just five appearances in 2025 after dealing with injuries throughout the year.
However, his five-try haul for Easts against Manly was a perfect sign that the 22-year-old is back to the form that saw him feature in the gold jersey against Georgia.
"He's had a couple of minor injuries as well at different times but when he's had his opportunities, he's generally played pretty well," McKellar believes.
"Last week, he brought that on-ball presence in wider channels where he can force turnovers and has got genuine speed with the ability to finish tries that a lot of others won't.
"He's still at the beginning of his career, getting coached hard and understanding what's important within our team. His attitude has been good and look forward to him hopefully getting some ball on Friday night."
The NSW Waratahs have an excellent record in Australia against the Crusaders, winning six of their last eight matches.
"We've had a few wins against them, which is good, and I think that gives belief and confidence," McKellar added.
"They're a different team this year than they were last year, as are we."
