Wallabies suffer massive blow

NEWS: Samu Kerevi's Commonwealth Games Sevens cameo has backfired with the Wallabies star to miss the rest of the year because of a knee injury.

The centre had opted to play Sevens in Birmingham instead of tour Argentina for two Tests.

He lasted just three games though, suffering what's understood to be an ACL tear in a collision against Kenya and missing the finals as Australia went on to finish fourth.

Kerevi initially downplayed the severity of the injury but wasn't sighted at the competition venue again before Rugby Australia confirmed the setback on Tuesday.

The injury is a cruel blow for Kerevi and the Wallabies, who have been a better side since the former Queensland Reds captain - now based in Japan - returned under tweaked eligibility laws last year.

RA and Wallabies coach Dave Rennie were happy for Kerevi to fulfil his promise and rejoin the Sevens program after he had made a shock cameo for the Tokyo Games.

But they'll now be without him for the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup, as well as a five-Test tour of Europe later this year that comes a year before France's 2023 World Cup.

He is also in the final year of his big-money, three-year deal with Suntory and could have played his last game for the heavyweight Japanese club.