The Brumbies have been dealt a blow ahead of their Super Rugby season with knee scans confirming back-row enforcer Fotu Auelua will miss the first eight games of the competition.
Auelua suffered a medial ligament rupture during the second half of Saturday's trial match against an ACT XV after being collected from the side of a ruck.
He'll be out for 10-12 weeks, with a goal to be fully fit for the Super Rugby final rematch against the Chiefs on April 25.
"It was just one of those things. It could have happened at any time of the season so I guess I'm just lucky that I will still have an opportunity to compete in 2014," Auelua said in a statement.
Having joined the Brumbies for the 2012 Super Rugby season, Auelua has quickly earned the respect of his peers and coaches to become a part of the team's leadership group.
The No.8-come-blindside flanker had only recently returned from rehabilitation after undergoing shoulder surgery during the off-season.
"The team here are very tightknit and I know I can count on them to get me through this tough patch," he said.
Auelua's injury will test the depth of the Brumbies' back-row stocks following the departure of George Smith, Peter Kimlin and Colby Fainga'a at the end of last season.
