Flying Wallabies winger Digby Ioane has fractured his right thumb, but is expected to recover in time for the latter stages of the Rugby World Cup.
The Queensland Reds winger suffered the injury during yesterday's 32-6 win over Italy in Australia's opening Cup match.
The winger accidentally came into contactwith the boot of his Italian counterpart, Mirco Bergamasco, as he attempted to cover a grubber kicked in behind the Australian line with about 20 mintues left in the game.
Ioane will be operated on and will remain with the Wallabies in New Zealand.
He is expected to be available to play again later in the tournament although the exact timeline on when he will return won't be known until after the joint has been operated on, and his rehabilitation has begun.
