THE ACT Brumbies will sweat on positive scan results for Test front-rowers Stephen Moore and Ben Alexander after they suffered potential serious injuries in Cairns last night.
The duo played just 10 minutes in the Brumbies' 27-20 trial loss to the Queensland Reds.
Moore left the field with a suspected AC-joint shoulder injury and has been told by medical staff ''it could be anything from two weeks to 12 weeks'' for his recovery.
Alexander left the field nursing an elbow problem, but coach Jake White is hopeful his stars will be available for the opening round of the Super Rugby season in 12 days' time.
Moore and Alexander's injuries have sent a scare through the Brumbies' camp with Pat McCabe still easing himself back into training after shoulder surgery in the off-season.
Should the trio be unavailable, the Brumbies could be left without a Wallabies representative in their side for the round one clash with the Western Force on February 24.
The team will arrive back in Canberra today and White will wait until he gets the scan results before deciding on Moore and Alexander's availability for the last trial or round one.
''We've got three Wallabies and all three were on the sideline, but that's a positive for us because we were playing against a strong side,'' White said.
''We had [rookie prop] Scott Sio, a 20-year-old playing against Super Rugby champions and Wallabies for 70 minutes, so it really was a baptism of fire.
''We'll have to wait and see with [Moore and Alexander], we'll see when we get back to Canberra how bad they are but at the moment they just look like bangs on the elbow and shoulder and I don't know much more than that.''
With their star power on the sideline, the young Brumbies battled valiantly against the defending champion Reds.
The contest was riddled with errors as both sides battled the tropical heat.
The first-string Brumbies dominated possession and territory before half-time, but conceded two tries, including a first-minute charge down which led to a Ben Tapuai try.
Waratahs recruit and captaincy contender Ben Mowen interestingly led them onto the field and called the shots, giving further fuel to a growing expectation the No.8 will be preferred ahead of Wallabies hooker Moore as skipper.
Although the Brumbies' backs botched try chances with poor handling, halfback Nic White kept them in touch by slotting four of his six penalty attempts.
White praised his young players, but urged them to continue their rapid improvement to ensure they get their season off to a winning start.
The Reds side was laden with Wallabies stars, while most of White's players were getting their second taste of Super Rugby action.
The Brumbies' match against the ACT XV on Thursday will be White's last opportunity to fine-tune his combinations before the season begins. He used 30 players in Cairns to give his talented youngsters a chance to impress.
But he wants to use the practice match against the ACT XV as a dress rehearsal for the season and will likely select his strongest side.
''I'm not completely happy because of course you want the results and we need to work on things to get better,'' White said.
''But we must remember this Queensland team has been together for three years and we've been together for two games.
''I thought we competed exceptionally well and showed a lot of spirit, I took a lot of positives out of that.
''Take out the error we made in the first 35 seconds which led to their first try and we kept them to 20-20 for the rest of the game.''
While they scored four tries to one, Reds coach Ewen McKenzie wished the game could have been allowed to flow better and admitted it was difficult get a strong gauge of his five-eighth contenders.
McKenzie praised Mike Harris's kicking game, including his restarts which led to several turnovers, but indicated more would be gained from Thursday's final trial against the Western Force in Perth.
Tapuai was a stand-out for Queensland who emerged unscathed apart from a hamstring concern for fringe outside back Aidan Toua. with AAP
AT A GLANCE
QUEENSLAND REDS 27 (Ben Tapuai, Chris Feauai-Sautia, James Horwill, Digby Ioane tries; Mike Harris 2 conversions, penalty) bt ACT BRUMBIES 20 (Michael Hooper try; Nic White 4, Zack Holmes penalties) at Barlow Park, Cairns.
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