Len Ikitau Injury Leaves Room Open at 13

Wallabies centre Len Ikitau was forced off the field clutching his shoulder early on during his team’s shock 34-31 loss to Argentina on Saturday.

Ikitau continued his good form and broke the deadlock early on with a well-taken try on the left sideline. However, he would not be able to contribute much more after hurting his shoulder in a collision with Pumas full-back Emiliano Boffelli in the act of scoring.

Australia have since confirmed that the centre has fractured part of his shoulder and will be out for some time, putting his Rugby World Cup hopes at risk.

“Ikitau suffered a fractured scapula. Estimated six-eight week recovery,” the Wallabies tweeted.

It is a difficult one to take for head coach Eddie Jones with his incumbent outside centre and one of his best performers ruled out for a long spell of time.

Replacement options

There are some options to turn to, however, as we take a look at the players Jones could opt for in the upcoming weeks ahead of the Rugby World Cup.

Izaia Perese is the obvious option after showing some solid form in Super Rugby Pacific for the Waratahs. Outside centre is his preferred position and he does have the quality to make the most of the opportunity. It may just be the window of opportunity he has been waiting for.

The versatile Reece Hodge played most of the club season at 13 for the Rebels so is comfortable there and will be a solid performer. Using him in that role will mean running power and X-factor would be sacrificed but the pros of Hodge means the line-up will be more adaptable and his cannon boot is always an asset.

A shift of Samu Kerevi to 13 is also a possibility as it happened during the game. This would mean Jones would have to look at other options at inside centre. That includes Hodge as he started there against the Springboks or even opens the door for another playmaker in James O’Connor, who could be an asset to the squad. Kerevi will be world-class in either centre spot and it would make sense to move him if it presents a more balanced midfield partnership.