Fringe Wallabies centre Anthony Faingaa has been ruled out of the rest of the 2013 international season after being booked in for a shoulder reconstruction.
Faingaa will undergo surgery this week and is expected to be sidelined for at least six months but is confident he can start the 2014 Super Rugby season for the Queensland Reds.
The tough-tackling centre's defence and organisation was sorely missed in the Reds' 38-9 qualifying final loss to the Crusaders a fortnight ago due to a hamstring injury.
But he had also been hampered by a shoulder problem for much of 2013.
Faingaa was still last week chosen by new Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie in his extended 40-man squad ahead of the Rugby Championship, kicking off on August 17 against the All Blacks.
Even though Test centres Ben Tapuai and Rob Horne were overlooked for the squad, McKenzie will not be replacing Faingaa for his first training camp starting Monday in Sydney.
"I've been carrying this shoulder injury throughout the last season and I feel that it is not in the best interests of my teammates at the Reds nor the Wallabies squad to continue to do so," Faingaa posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday.
"I'm immensely disappointed not to be joining my brother, Saia, at the Wallabies camp on Monday.
"We missed the last tour together and now we are to be split apart again because of my surgery and recovery."
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