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Sydney - Scrumhalf Luke Burgess has likely played his final game for the Waratahs after breaking his hand at training on Tuesday, further disrupting an already chaotic build-up with several other injuries already depleting the NSW side for Friday's elimination final in Auckland.
Burgess's injury makes it 12 regular Waratahs squad members who won't be playing at Eden Park, forcing officials to choose club players Bernard Foley and Elvis Taione for their Super Rugby debuts in NSW's biggest game of the season so far.
While Burgess flew to Auckland with his team-mates on Tuesday, the Herald understands that scans revealed a broken bone after he hurt his hand during a training session at Paddington's Victoria Barracks in the morning.
Josh Holmes or Brendan McKibbin will replace Burgess, who has signed a three-year deal with Toulouse and will join the French club after October's World Cup.
Australian Sevens captain Foley is the shock call-up as cover for playmaker Kurtley Beale. Foley could be asked to guide the team into the semi-finals, while security guard Taione could make his elite level debut from the bench.
The Waratahs' injury list has been a curse for most of the season, but losing influential players such as Burgess, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Al Baxter and Daniel Halangahu for the encounter against the Blues could prove an insurmountable hurdle.
Already without international stars Berrick Barnes, Drew Mitchell, Wycliff Palu, Sekope Kepu, Rob Horne, and regular team members Ben Mowen, Pat McCutcheon and Damien Fitzpatrick, the latest blow to their stocks leaves NSW facing an uphill battle on Friday night.
''I suppose the encouraging thing is when we've had to make those changes, the players who have come in have stepped up to the mark and done a really good job,'' coach Chris Hickey said.
''I don't think it will be any other case this weekend.''
Hickey didn't confirm Foley as the back-up five-eighth but the Sevens specialist trained in that position yesterday before the team flew out.
''We've got options, Ben Batger has played 10, Josh Holmes has played 10 and 12 at club rugby, we're going to take Bernard Foley with us, it's something we're going to look at once we get over there,'' Hickey said.
John Ulugia will start at hooker, and Taione, plucked from the Manly Marlins side, will be his back-up.
''We monitored club rugby pretty closely at the end of last year and the start of this year, and we knew we needed to go to club rugby, there were a couple of candidates we looked at, and we felt that Elvis ticked most of the boxes,'' Hickey said.
The Blues have announced their intention to play an attacking game, with coach Pat Lam saying: ''It's win or lose now but nothing changes with preparation - it's just the Waratahs and what we need to do.
''They come here on the back of some very good form, particularly last weekend.''
Burgess's injury makes it 12 regular Waratahs squad members who won't be playing at Eden Park, forcing officials to choose club players Bernard Foley and Elvis Taione for their Super Rugby debuts in NSW's biggest game of the season so far.
While Burgess flew to Auckland with his team-mates on Tuesday, the Herald understands that scans revealed a broken bone after he hurt his hand during a training session at Paddington's Victoria Barracks in the morning.
Josh Holmes or Brendan McKibbin will replace Burgess, who has signed a three-year deal with Toulouse and will join the French club after October's World Cup.
Australian Sevens captain Foley is the shock call-up as cover for playmaker Kurtley Beale. Foley could be asked to guide the team into the semi-finals, while security guard Taione could make his elite level debut from the bench.
The Waratahs' injury list has been a curse for most of the season, but losing influential players such as Burgess, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Al Baxter and Daniel Halangahu for the encounter against the Blues could prove an insurmountable hurdle.
Already without international stars Berrick Barnes, Drew Mitchell, Wycliff Palu, Sekope Kepu, Rob Horne, and regular team members Ben Mowen, Pat McCutcheon and Damien Fitzpatrick, the latest blow to their stocks leaves NSW facing an uphill battle on Friday night.
''I suppose the encouraging thing is when we've had to make those changes, the players who have come in have stepped up to the mark and done a really good job,'' coach Chris Hickey said.
''I don't think it will be any other case this weekend.''
Hickey didn't confirm Foley as the back-up five-eighth but the Sevens specialist trained in that position yesterday before the team flew out.
''We've got options, Ben Batger has played 10, Josh Holmes has played 10 and 12 at club rugby, we're going to take Bernard Foley with us, it's something we're going to look at once we get over there,'' Hickey said.
John Ulugia will start at hooker, and Taione, plucked from the Manly Marlins side, will be his back-up.
''We monitored club rugby pretty closely at the end of last year and the start of this year, and we knew we needed to go to club rugby, there were a couple of candidates we looked at, and we felt that Elvis ticked most of the boxes,'' Hickey said.
The Blues have announced their intention to play an attacking game, with coach Pat Lam saying: ''It's win or lose now but nothing changes with preparation - it's just the Waratahs and what we need to do.
''They come here on the back of some very good form, particularly last weekend.''
