The NSW Waratahs' campaign has gone from bad to worse, thrashed by their fierce rivals the ACT Brumbies while losing star Wallabies prop Angus Bell to a potential season-ending toe injury.
The Waratahs fell to their 12th straight defeat to the Brumbies as Noah Lolesio's boot did the damage in the first half whilst two second-half tries to Rob Valetini and Corey Toole sealed the result.
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But it is the Waratahs counting the cost of their latest defeat, with Bell suspected to have again suffered big toe ligament damage that has hampered him across the past two seasons.
"It doesn't look good, it looks like the same toe injury he suffered in round one last year," NSW coach Darren Coleman said.
"He's pretty devastated. There wasn't much talking, there was a bit of hugging and crying.
"He's pretty shattered by it all, but we'll hold out a little bit of hope, the doctor said … the pop that he felt could have been something different.
"But at the moment it looks scarily like the same as his last injury...if it is the same injury then it's season over."
Bell will head for scans in the coming days as the Waratahs prepare for the Crusaders next week.
Valetini powered his way through the Waratahs defence in the 48th minute whilst Toole answered Charlie Gamble's maul try to shut down any hopes of a comeback.
The win meant the Brumbies hit their mid-season bye with a stellar 6-1 record and level on points with the Super Rugby Pacific's leading duo in the Blues and Hurricanes.
They have won five straight games after copping a 34-point thrashing from the Chiefs in round two.
"The score blew out there a little bit, but it was a really tough game for the boys, lots of physicality from the Waratahs," ACT coach Stephen Larkham said.
"It's just great to finish this block that way. We know we've got a long run now for the next block, but there's a lot of things that haven't gone right for us, we've managed to find ways to win the games through this period.
"That puts us in a really good position now to learn from our mistakes, hopefully get away from the game this week and then come back and really try and grow into the second half of the season."
