Liam Wright is facing another injury lay-off after his troublesome shoulder flared again just two games into his Super Rugby Pacific comeback.
The one-time Wallabies skipper was pulled early from the Queensland Reds' loss to the Crusaders on Sunday and won't face the NSW Waratahs in Brisbane this Saturday.
Instead he'll consult specialists for advice after feeling pain in the shoulder that ruined his Test season that began with his shock ascension to the Wallabies captaincy.
Wright had played just one game off the bench before starting on Sunday, the backrower's patience severely tested by regular injuries since he was appointed Reds' captain as a 22-year-old in 2020.
The Reds are hopeful the latest setback will not be a long term one and that Wright can return to the squad and push his case for a Test berth against the visiting British and Irish Lions later this year.
But Wright's history means they are treading with caution.
"Liam got a knock on the shoulder so we're just investigating … we need to get it right, in terms of what it is," coach Les Kiss said on Wednesday.
"Hopefully it's nothing but these things, you never know, so we want to be cautious and measured.
"It's tough isn't it and he's in as positive a state of mind that he can be.
"It'd weigh on anyone's mind, wouldn't it? So we're just here to support him."
The Waratahs are unbeaten in three games this season while the Reds are 2-1, the ledger between the rivals split at 20-20.
New Waratahs coach Dan McKellar, formerly Brumbies coach and a Queensland product himself, stoked the embers when he labelled the Reds the competition's best team.
The comment wasn't lost on Kiss, a fiercely passionate Queenslander who played State of Origin rugby league for the Maroons before becoming a rugby coach.
"I'm just thankful he's helping to promote the game up here, for our crowd," Kiss smiled.
"He might be talking about himself (as an underdog), he's a Queenslander too isn't he?
"The bottom line is, you can throw some words out there but it'll be all about actions, won't it?"
