Pat McCabe Backs Replacement after Injury

Australia have been hit with the news that centre Pat McCabe will miss the opening rounds of the inaugural Rugby Championship after suffering a leg injury.

The talented back picked-up the problem in training and scans have now shown that he has suffered a stress fracture in his lower leg, meaning he will be out of action for up to six weeks.

The injury means the Brumbies star will miss the Wallabies’ back-to-back Bledisloe Cup ties with New Zealand at the end of August, but he should be ready to face South Africa in Perth in early September, before the double header with Argentina later in the month.

However, his immediate absence leaves coach Robbie Deans with even more questions over who will play in the midfield, following the previous injury to James O’Connor.

McCabe has been one of the Wallabies standout players in the last 12 months and after years of debate over where the 24-year-old plays best, he’s finally found a home at inside centre.

His strong running and clever distribution has even seen him compared to some of the best in his position and he certainly leaves some sizable boots to fill, with the betting taking a sizeable shift away from the Wallabies upon the announcement regarding his injury.

The Brumbies man is understandably disappointed to be missing out on the games against the All Blacks but isn’t too worried about his side’s chances, despite the latest odds placing them as outsiders. McCabe insists that whoever replaces him will do a more than adequate job

"The Tests against the All Blacks are the ones you'd most like to be involved in," McCabe said. "It would have been a huge challenge and one I was definitely looking forward to, but I think we've got a number of guys who can fill that spot extremely well and they'll do really well."

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