Rugby: Australia’s Lalakai Foketi expected to make ‘full recovery’ from neck injury

Australia centre Lalakai Foketi is expected to make a full recovery from a neck injury that had raised fears for his rugby career and shook his New South Wales Waratahs teammates.

Foketi received lengthy medical treatment at the Waratahs’ training ground on Thursday before being taken to a hospital by ambulance for scans that cleared him of serious spinal damage.

The Waratahs said on Monday he had been discharged from the hospital on Saturday and was recovering at home. “It is expected that Lalakai will make a full recovery and we look forward to seeing him back on the field once his rehabilitation is complete,” the Waratahs said in a statement that gave no timeline for his return.

Foketi will follow up with specialists in coming days, and a Waratahs spokesperson said it was too early to determine whether the centre could still feature in the 2024 season.

The Waratahs lost 40-22 to the Queensland Reds in their opening match of the Super Rugby Pacific season on Saturday.