Ikitau sidelined until the new year

Exeter Chiefs and Wallabies centre Len Ikitau will be unavailable for selection in Chiefs’ upcoming games due to a shoulder injury which will require surgery.

Ikitau suffered the injury in the closing stages of Chiefs’ Gallagher PREM round seven win over Saracens at the StoneX Stadium last weekend.

Director of rugby Rob Baxter said: “In a tackle against Saracens, Len has picked up the injury and it’s going to require surgery. The good news is that we can get him in for the operation pretty quickly, though unfortunately it does mean he will miss the block of games over the festive period and into the cup competitions in the new year.

“We’re looking at him being back fully fit and ready to play the remainder of the season post the Prem Rugby Cup block which overlaps with the Guinness Six Nations.

“It’s very unfortunate for Len, who has been playing out of his skin for us and was in outstanding form. It’s a shame for him and a shame for us because he’s been an important part of what we’ve achieved so far this season.

“However, after a pretty long period of quite intense rugby, it will give him a bit of a break and give his body plenty of time to recover and refresh. Hopefully, he can have a big end of the season impact for us, and we’ll remain in contention to be challenging for some success or silverware.”

The Australian will have the operation before entering a period of rehab with the Chiefs medical team.