The Waratahs have confirmed Wallabies star Angus Bell will miss the rest of the season with the recurrence of a toe ligament issue suffered in Saturday's loss to the ACT Brumbies.
It's a huge blow for the side who've won just one match so far this year and are currently on a five match losing streak, and are facing an injury crisis that has decimated their forward pack.
"Losing Angus is a big blow. Not only for the team but for Australian rugby," Tahs coach Darren Coleman said. "He took it pretty hard but there's a bit of the clouds lifting.
"He's up in Brisbane on Wednesday to see another specialist and get a plan on how he can do a bit of remodelling on his foot to alleviate the pressure that goes through his toe. At this stage, he's still gathering opinions from specialists. He's got some really good medical support around him through the Wallabies and our own medical staff who can advise him. He'll pick a pathway forward over the next week or so and get on with the rehabilitation of that injury.
"The injuries to our props are really starting to hit the squad. Up front, we're struggling. There's no doubt we're lacking a bit of depth there at the moment. We've lost four of our seven contracted props for the season and that's unheard of, along with our top two hookers in David Porecki and Mahe Vailanu. We've got our work cut out to reconfigure a few things and guys like Harry Johnson-Holmes and Hayden Thompson-Stringer are crucial to us at the moment."
Hayden Thompson-Stringer has been elevated to start in Bell's place, while Lewis Ponini will make his Super Rugby Pacific debut from the reserves list.
Meanwhile, NRL-bound Wallabies winger Mark Nawaqanitawase has been axed from the struggling team's lineup as they fight to keep their Super Rugby Pacific season alive.
The Waratahs have replaced the 23-year-old who will join the Sydney Roosters in 2025 with Triston Rielly, coincidentally a player who spent last season with the NRL's Wests Tigers.
It's the biggest decision Coleman made in picking a side for Friday night's clash with the Crusaders, when the 1-6 Waratahs simply must produce a response to their poor recent form.
"It's been a big headache in our backline but a good headache to have," Coleman said.
"This week we have all of our contracted backs available which is unheard of. As a result, we've got some good players missing out.
"Triston deserves his chance ... his effort areas like kick-chase and defence are really strong and I'm looking forward to what he can provide us this weekend."
World Cup winger Nawaqanitawase has played all bar two minutes of the Waratahs' seven SRP matches this campaign but has not been at his sparkling best and is yet to score a try.
He is set to join the Roosters at season's end, when current Roosters talent Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii heads to the Waratahs.