Max Jorgensen will undergo surgery on his injury ankle with the exciting young NSW Waratahs speedster unlikely to feature again this Super Rugby Pacific season.
The injury will also put a major dent in the 20-year-old's hopes of lining up for the Wallabies in their three-Test series against the British and Irish Lions, with the first match in Brisbane on July 19.
With seven caps to his name, Jorgensen has previously been sidelined by an MCL injury and then a broken leg at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, which delayed his Test debut.
Playing at fullback in the 57-12 loss in Wellington last Friday, Jorgensen was escorted from the field early in the match when his left ankle was trapped under Hurricanes back-rower Brayden Iose as he swung around the NSW player's legs.
Hip-drop tackles are banned in the NRL but are not illegal in rugby.
Scans revealed the extent of the syndesmosis injury, with NSW confirming on Monday Jorgensen would go under the knife on Friday, with coach Dan McKellar expecting him to be sidelined for "six to eight weeks".
There are nine weeks of the regular season remaining, with the fifth-placed Waratahs having the bye in round 11 in four weeks time.
Travelling to Auckland to next face Moana Pasifika, who shocked the Crusaders, the Tahs are also set to be without play-maker Lawson Creighton, who followed Jorgensen off following a head knock.
They are already missing skipper and Wallabies scrumhalf Jake Gordon (medial ligament) and former Test hooker Dave Porecki (calf) among a bulging casualty ward.
Lock Ben Grant said the team felt for "Jorgo", who had been a consistent performer in the Waratahs' impressive 4-2 start to the season.
"He's been enormous for us and I hurt for the fella because he's just been coming into some of his best form of his career and for that to kind of happen to him, it's unfair," the 26-year-old said.
Having spent the 2024 season with the Wellington club, Grant said the Hurricanes thumping had been difficult to digest for the entire NSW camp.
"The body's sore but I think the heart's a little bit sorer, " Grant said.
"To start our season as well as we have, a really good performance that we were proud of last week against the Brumbies, and to produce something like that, it's not just me that's disappointed, but the entire playing group and coaching staff as well.
"Against those big, strong New Zealand forward packs in particular, you've got to turn up physically and it's probably something that we didn't do, which is disappointing because we know we've got the potential and the cavalry to do it.
"Moana are such a big physical team with so many good athletes, and if we give them a sniff like we did on the weekend, they're going to hurt us for it, so we know what the challenge is ahead."
