Les Kiss provides Len Ikitau injury update after Springboks thriller

Wallabies coach Les Kiss has provided a brief update on centre Len Ikitau, who came off with an ankle injury during the 42-38 win over the Springboks. Ikitau scored two tries before hobbling off ahead of a “bizarre” end to the Test.

Ikitau scored two tries in three minutes, stealing the show during a first half that finished with the Wallabies leading 24-17. Ryan Lonergan added to the home side’s advantage with a couple of penalty goals after the break, only for Ikitau to leave the contest moments later.

The reigning John Eales Medal winner was replaced by NSW Waratahs winger Harry Potter, which saw Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii shift to the midfield. Harry Wilson and Max Jorgensen added more points to the team’s score, as the Wallabies led by as much as 25 with less than 15 to play.

But Wilson, Lonergan, Suaalii and Hunter Paisami were all shown yellow cards late in the piece, as the Springboks fought their way back. It was a four-point ball game with time almost up, and the Wallabies did enough to hang on.

Wallabies players, staff and supporters celebrated passionately post-game, but an update on Ikitau remained a crucial talking point before two Bledisloe Cup Tests. “It’s just an ankle,” Kiss told reporters, although the extent of the injury is unknown at the time of writing.

“We don’t know anything further other than we’ve just got to very precautionary with it now and just see where it is,” Kiss said.

Ikitau is under an injury cloud, and the Wallabies have been dealt another blow to their centre pairing. Huner Paisami has been cited for an incident in the 76^th minute, with SANZAAR releasing a disciplinary update on Monday morning.

SANZAAR will share another update on Wednesday, September 30.

Suaalii looms as a potential candidate to line up in the midfield against the All Blacks next month, considering the utility back has almost exclusively started in that role at Test level – having come off the bench twice, and now started on the wing once.

The 23-year-old set the tone against the Springboks by rising high to claim the opening kick-off, only to be penalised after coming to ground. But the reaction to Suaalii’s performance has been quite positive, with the Wallaby linking up well with Max Jorgensen and Tom Wright.

“Joe did his bit, didn’t he? And then we moved him to 13 which is a great thing we’re trying to work on and be able to adapt our positions in certain ways and get a bit of depth in our combinations,” Kiss explained.

“It was a back three, it wasn’t just ‘Su’. I thought Wright, I think that’s his best game he’s had for four or five games now and he was imperious at times.

“Jorgo is Jorgo. That boy just knows one way to set his mindset. Nothing seems to faze the boy and the quality to come through and then finish that try is pretty special tonight.”