Karmichael Hunt Sidelined For 8 Weeks

The Wallabies have been dealt a major Bledisloe Cup & Rugby Championship blow, with inside-centre Karmichael Hunt ruled out for eight weeks with an ankle injury. 

Hunt missed the team's training session on Monday morning in Newcastle and Wallabies team officials have confirmed he will take no part in the Bledisloe Cup opener on August 19 against the All Blacks.

The 30-year-old has syndesmosis in his ankle and will spend roughly two months on the sidelines. 

"Karmichael is going to be out for six to eight weeks I'd say," coach Michael Cheika told reporters on Monday. "He ended up having a small operation on his syndesmosis injury. He's got nothing doing for the first 10 days and then we'll start working on him and his fitness levels so that as soon as he's ready to go, he comes straight back in. 

"He's very disappointed but there's nothing you can do about it when the injury happens, you've got to get on with it. It makes an opportunity for someone else in the team now." 

The Wallabies will depart for South Africa in eight weeks time and Hunt will be eyeing off that two-match tour in Bloemfontein and Mendoza against the Springboks and Pumas. 

It is understood Cheika won't bring in a replacement player and will not throw Quade Cooper a lifeline after he was left out of the initial 38-man squad last week. 

Hunt and Kurtley Beale were set to compete for the No.12 jersey but with Queensland Reds star out for an extended period of time, it appears Beale will make his first start for the Wallabies since 2015.