Samoa scrum-half Scott Malolua has been ruled out of the World Cup with a dislocated shoulder and replaced by Waikato Chiefs’ Pele Cowley.
Queensland Reds half-back Malolua made his debut for Samoa against Australia in Parramatta last Saturday when he was crocked late in the first half.
The injury will keep him out for up to eight weeks, a time frame which encompasses the entire tournament in Japan.
New Zealand-based Cowley has 12 caps for Samoa, most recently last month in the Pacific Nations Cup.
“We’re all gutted for Scott,” coach Steve Jackson told the RNZ website in Auckland. “He was playing some good rugby.
“But we all understand that this is the nature of our game. So we need to push forward to Japan and that’s why we’ve brought Cowley into our squad.”
Samoa open their World Cup campaign against Russia in Kumagaya on September 24.
Meanwhile, Japan winger Kenki Fukuoka will miss his country’s World Cup opening match against Russia next week because of a minor calf muscle tear.