Super 14
Horwill injury sours Reds win
Scrum.com
February 20, 2010
James Horwill addresses his Reds team-mates, Western Force v Queensland Reds, Super 14 trial match, ME Stadium, Perth, Australia, February 5, 2010.
The Reds will need another source for inspirational speeches © Getty Images
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Players/Officials: Will Genia | James Horwill
Tournaments/Tours: Super 14

Queensland Reds skipper and Wallabies lock James Horwill will be sidelined for up to nine months after undergoing surgery on a knee he injured badly in the Reds' Super 14 win over the Crusaders on Friday.

Horwill, Reds coach Ewen McKenzie and Australia counterpart Robbie Deans received the worst possible news on Saturday after seeing the 115kg enforcer carried off the Suncorp Stadium pitch midway through the second half.

McKenzie will have to consider whether to promote Horwill's deputy Will Genia to the skipper role, while Deans will have to explore other options to the 24-Test player in his Wallabies second row for this year's Tri-Nations, and likely the end-of-year tour to Europe as well.

All the talk in the lead up to the match had surrounded McKenzie's young team's ability to bounce back from a shattering last-minute loss to bitter rivals the Waratahs last week, and although they responded with a terrific 41-20 bonus point victory, they'll now have to dig deep once again to get over the disappointment of losing the inspirational Horwill.

"It's an injury that (Horwill) will fully recover from, although it will take time," McKenzie told AAP. "While the rehabilitation period is a long one, the knee will be as good as new when he returns."

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