The winger has been vocal about his wish to represent the Wallabies in his last year in rugby, but has not been able to replicate his sparkling international form in NSW colours.
Nawaqanitawase has started the previous seven rounds of Super Rugby for the Waratahs, but has not scored in any tries this season.
The 23-year-old could be selected for his club Eastwood in their round two Shute Shield game against Northern Suburbs at North Sydney Oval on Saturday after missing out with the Waratahs.
The Waratahs are also facing a front-row crisis, with Wallabies prop Angus Bell missing the rest of the season, forcing Coleman to turn to the Shute Shield again, calling up Eastern Suburbs prop Lewis Ponini to sit on the bench for his Super Rugby debut.
“Losing Angus is a big blow, not only for the team but for Australian rugby. He took it pretty hard but there’s a bit of the clouds lifting,” Coleman said.
Loading
“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.”
“It’s a good opportunity for Lewis. As they say when one door shuts another one opens. I think you’ll see a really enthusiastic performance out of him against the Crusaders.
“He has actually spent some time in his life in Christchurch, so he is quite familiar with a few of the boys he’ll be playing against.”
Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
Watch all the action from the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season, with every match ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport.
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
SMH
