 Reihana joins a lengthy injury list at Northampton |
Northampton skipper Bruce Reihana will be out of action until the new year after suffering a knee injury during Saints' loss to Gloucester on Saturday. The 30-year-old New Zealander was forced off after just 10 minutes of the game after being injured in a tackle.
The full-back will have an operation on Thursday to correct the problem.
"The prognosis for the injury was better than we thought but it will need surgical intervention," said Saints medical director Cliff Eaton.
Last year's captain Steve Thompson is also out of action with a calf injury.
Meanwhile, new hooker Matias Cortese sprained his ankle during Monday night's Guinness A League loss to Leicester.
Lock Tom Powell was also injured and will have scans on Tuesday to determine the extent of the damage to ankle ligaments.
Northampton have already lost centre Jon Clarke to a broken ankle while the Gloucester match ended with uncontested scrums after injuries to props Tom Smith and Pat Barnard.
Reihana and Clarke have both been named in Saints' squad for this season's Heineken Cup, despite the fact neither are expected to play again before Christmas. Director of rugby Budge Pountney hopes both players will be fit for January appointments with Biarritz and Borders.
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