A spinal injury to Wallabies flyhalf Noah Lolesio has overshadowed the ACT Brumbies' surge to an all-important Super Rugby Pacific home playoff.
Lolesio was stretchered off wearing a neck brace, and in apparent extreme pain, midway through the first half of his Brumbies' 33-14 derby win over the Western Force in Perth.
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The Brumbies' and incumbent Australian No.10 was twisted in an accidental off-the-ball play while trying to repel a Force attack on his goal line in the 20th minute of Saturday night's derby.
It was initially unclear if Lolesio had suffered a back, hip or leg injury in the incident.
But Stan Sport's sideline commentator and former Wallabies star Cameron Shepherd said Lolesio had sustained a spinal injury.
"We don't want to speculate too much at the moment because there's a lot of scans and a lot of checks that need to be done," Shepherd said.
"But the one small bit of good news is that he is moving his arms and legs.
"They have confirmed it is a spinal injury. At the moment, we just don't understand the severity.
"But, fingers crossed, moving his arms and legs is obviously a very, very good sign."
Two-time World Cup-winning Wallabies legend Tim Horan added: "It wasn't a great sign that he was holding the green whistle. That shows he was in a lot of pain."
Lolesio's injury occurred almost exactly 24 hours after fellow Wallabies star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was escorted off the field, also on a medicab and in a neck brace, during another Australian derby between his NSW Waratahs and the Queensland Reds in Sydney.
However unlike the Waratahs, the Brumbies rallied to secure an all-important bonus point victory with Liam Bowron striking a fell blow in the 80th minute.
The game was in the balance at 21-14 with 10 minutes remaining after Mac Grealy's try drew the Force within single digits before 50-game milestone man Ollie Sapsford and Bowron struck late to break the hosts' hearts.
Earlier, Len Ikitau, Corey Toole and Tom Hooper crossed for the Brumbies while Force flanker Kane Koteka found the chalk after coming in as a late replacement for Carlo Tizzano, who was ruled out pre-game with a pectoral injury.
ACT BRUMBIES 33 (Ikitau, Toole, Hooper, Sapsford, Bowron tries; Meredith 4 cons) def WESTERN FORCE 14 (Koteka, Grealy tries; Donaldson 2 cons)
FORCE (1-15): Ryan Coxon, Nic Dolly, Tom Robertson, Jeremy Williams (c), Darcy Swain, Will Harris, Kane Koteka, Nick Champion de Crespigny; Henry Robertson, Ben Donaldson, Mac Grealy, Hamish Stewart, Bayley Kuenzle, Harry Potter, Kurtley Beale
Replacements: Tom Horton, Atu Moli, Tiaan Tauakipulu, Lopeti Faifua, Reed Prinsep, Nic White, Max Burey, Sio Tomkinson
BRUMBIES (1-15): James Slipper, Lachlan Lonergan, Allan Alaalatoa (c), Nick Frost, Lachlan Shaw, Rob Valetini, Rory Scott, Tom Hooper, Ryan Lonergan, Noah Lolesio, Corey Toole, David Feliuai, Len Ikitau, Andy Muirhead, Tom Wright
Replacements: Liam Bowron, Lington Ieli, Rhys van Nek, Tuaina Taii Tualima, Luke Reimer, Harrison Goddard, Declan Meredith, Ollie Sapsford
Referee: Paul Williams
Assistant Referees: Angus Mabey, Jordan Kaminski
TMO: Graham Cooper
