Wallabies' Naivalu facing up to seven weeks out
Australia coach Michael Cheika is hopeful Sefa Naivalu will be fit for August's Bledisloe Cup opener against New Zealand, but the Melbourne Rebels wing is set to miss the remainder of the Super Rugby
Naivalu suffered a sprained ankle during the Wallabies' 40-27 victory over Italy.
Addressing reporters the next day, Cheika said: "He's got a mid-grade syndesmosis injury.
"So you would think with no intervention [operation] required, he's got about a six, seven-week return to play, which should have him back in time for [the] first Bledisloe [Cup] match.
Australia faces the All Blacks in Sydney on 19 August, with a return fixture in Dunedin the following week and a third encounter scheduled for 21 October in Brisbane.
