Dane Haylett-Petty's miserable week has taken another turn for the worse, with the Wallabies winger ruled out for the rest of the year with a torn biceps.
Haylett-Petty was left shattered on Tuesday when it was confirmed the Western Force had lost their Supreme Court appeal and been booted out of the Super Rugby competition.
After that announcement, Haylett-Petty said he was determined to put the drama aside and produce a strong showing for the Wallabies in Saturday night's Rugby Championship Test against South Africa in Perth.
But those plans have been scuppered after it was deemed the biceps injury he has been carrying since the end of the Super Rugby season was too bad to carry on.
Haylett-Petty will undergo surgery, with the injury set to rule him out for about three months.
Some Force fans are threatening to boycott Saturday's game, while others will wear their blue Force jersey as a form of protest to the ARU.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said Haylett-Petty was bitterly disappointed to be ruled out this week given all the external drama going on.
"There's been a lot of talk amongst the team around what Saturday is going to mean - in perhaps a symbolic sense from us as the team to the people over here," Cheika said.
"When Haylett-Petty came off (against the All Blacks), he tore the rest of (his biceps). Because it tore completely, he thought he might be able to keep playing with it.
"But when he got into the contact work on Tuesday, it wasn't possible for him to do his job."
Cheika has made four changes to his starting XV from the team that lost to the All Blacks 35-29 in Dunedin a fortnight ago.
Haylett-Petty's injury has opened the door for Reece Hodge to be named on the wing, while Tatafu Polota-Nau comes in at hooker to replace Stephen Moore, who is in Brisbane for the birth of his third child.
Lock Adam Coleman returns from a shoulder injury, while prop Sekope Kepu replaces Allan Alaalatoa.
The surprise selection was hooker Jordan Uelese on the bench.
The 20-year-old has played just 28 minutes of rugby for the Melbourne Rebels, but is in line to become the ninth Wallaby debutant this year.
The Wallabies took a major step forward in their second Bledisloe Test against New Zealand.
Australia led with just minutes to go in Dunedin, before the All Blacks scored a late try to secure a narrow win.
Cheika said it was important to continue that momentum.
"That is the key to rugby getting back to the level in this country as a whole - delivering every week," Cheika said.
South Africa are on a five-Test winning streak, and have produced two powerful wins over Argentina in recent weeks.
Springboks scrumhalf Ross Cronje returns to the starting side after recovering from an ankle injury.
AUSTRALIA:
Israel Folau, Henry Speight, Tevita Kuridrani, Kurtley Beale, Reece Hodge, Bernard Foley, Will Genia, Sean McMahon, Michael Hooper, Ned Hanigan, Adam Coleman, Rory Arnold, Sekope Kepu, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Scott Sio. Res: Jordan Uelese, Tom Robertson, Allan Alaalatoa, Rob Simmons, Jack Dempsey, Nick Phipps, Samu Kerevi, Curtis Rona.
SOUTH AFRICA:
Andries Coetzee, Raymond Rhule, Jesse Kriel, Jan Serfontein, Courtnall Skosan, Elton Jantjies, Ross Cronje, Uzair Cassiem, Jaco Kriel, Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth (capt), Coenie Oosthuizen, Malcolm Marx, Tendai Mtawarira. Res: Bongi Mbonambi, Steven Kitshoff, Trevor Nyakane, Lood de Jager, Jean-Luc du Preez, Francois Hougaard, Handre Pollard, Damian de Allende.
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