Cooper out of SA tour
Wallaby flyhalf Quade Cooper has suffered a new injury setback and is out for eight weeks with a broken shoulder blade, the Reds said on Saturday.
Cooper fractured his scapula making a tackle in his second game back for the Reds, after recovering from a broken collarbone.
It is another blow for the playmaker and his beleaguered franchise, who have won just one of their opening seven Super Rugby games this season.
The Reds suffered a further injury blow on the eve of their two-game South African tour with Jake Schatz ruled out for at least a month, after rupturing a tendon in his elbow after his arm was caught in an awkward position in a ruck.
"All we need to worry about is the things we can control, and that is our attitude, preparation and performance."
The Rebels beat the Reds 23-15 on Friday with the match swinging on the 21st minute dismissal of Reds lock James Horwill to leave Queensland playing for the rest of the game a man down.
Former Wallaby skipper Horwill was sent off for the use of a swinging arm in a ruck for his second red card of the season and was subsequently suspended for one match.
The Reds head to Johannesburg on Sunday and the coach, Graham, said he would take the next 24 hours to make a decision as to who would join the 27-man squad for the tour.
"I will have a meeting with the coaching staff today [Saturday] about what balance we need to achieve within the squad, but the benefit we do have is we have had a number of younger players gain further experience at Super Rugby level earlier this season," Graham said.
"After building on a good foundation from last week, it's disappointing to lose the two boys ahead of an important tour."
The Reds squad for South Africa will be announced on Sunday, ahead of their departure to Johannesburg.