Monday 16 May 2016 09:16, UK
Wasps-bound Kurtley Beale has undergone successful knee surgery and will be out for up to six months.
The Australia full-back landed awkwardly after challenging for a high ball in the opening seconds of the Waratahs' Super Rugby game against the Bulls in Sydney on Sunday.
There were initial fears that the 27-year-old could be sidelined for potentially up to a year, jeopardising his Wasps commitment, but surgeons said the prognosis was positive.
"The procedure went well with a good fixation of the patella tendon back onto the patella bone," a Waratahs statement said.
"Beale will remain sidelined for four to six months and will spend the next six weeks in a range of motion braces.
"The prognosis was much better than expected given the tendon remained intact, requiring less invasive surgery, and that the injury was isolated with no other damage to the knee."
Beale, who has 60 international caps, announced on Friday he will leave Super Rugby at the end of the season to join Wasps in a deal that will reportedly make him the highest-paid player in the Premiership.
But he will now sit out the Wallabies' three-Test home series against England next month, the remainder of the Super Rugby season with the Waratahs and may now miss the September start of the northern hemisphere season.
