The NSW Waratahs are set to be without Wallabies prop Angus Bell for the next four months after he re-injured his foot during last week's opener.
It's the same injury that kept him out of the majority of the 2022 International season, reportedly rupturing the ligament in the big toe of his right foot.
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Bell was influential in the first 20 minutes, setting up Max Jorgensen's opening try with a brutal run and offload.
After the recently re-signed loosehead won the Waratahs a scrum penalty, the expressionless reaction from the 22-year-old told forwards coach Pauli Taumoepeau something was wrong.
“It’s demoralising,” Taumoepeau said.
“He’s done so much work to get to this point and he knew (he’d injured it), he was silent.
“The scrum happened, we dominated, so as a forwards coach I was quite happy but he sort of caught my attention and I didn’t really understand what he was talking about. When I ran out there for him, he didn’t really give me anything other than getting 10 steps into it and he said, ‘My toe’s gone’.
“You could just tell it wasn’t good. He didn’t stop, he just kept walking straight past me back to the sheds. He knew straight away.
"I went back and looked at the footage. His reaction after a dominant scrum like that was he knew immediately what had happened.”
The timeline leaves Bell pushing to be fit for July's condensed Rugby Championship, joining fellow explosive front-rower Taniela Tupou on the sidelines for the first half of 2023.
“I think he was out for four or five months last time and it's exactly the same thing,” Taumoepeau believes.
“I’m hearing that he is just looking to try to get into the Wallabies stuff. DC(Darren Coleman) just announced it in front of the team, so whatever that is, four or five months.
“He’s weighing up his options, but I think he’ll head into surgery."
New recruit Tom Lambert is expected to start in his place, making his Waratahs debut after returning to NSW from a stint in Glasgow.
Lambert led the host in carries (12 for 18m), needing to step up to replace the influential Wallaby
"(His absence) is massive," Taumoepeau added.
"We rely and draw some plays that are specific to his carry power. Obviously he’s a pretty dominant and destructive scrummager as well, and we rely on those things. It’s a big blow.”
