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Baxter sidelined with back injury
August 17, 2007 - 7:44am
Story by: Sportal
Wallabies prop Al Baxter has been ruled out of the Rays' Mazda Australian Rugby Championship clash against the Rams this Saturday due to back soreness.
Baxter suffered the injury following an intensive day of scrummaging and mauling at a secret Wallabies session in Sydney on Thursday.
The 30-year-old told Sportal on Thursday he expects to recover in time to join the Wallabies for their final World Cup training camp on home soil starting Monday.
Baxter was due to line-up for the Central Coast Rays in a bid to gain valuable game-time ahead of his second World Cup campaign next month but said he will now miss the match as a precaution.
"I just overloaded it and it's tightened up and I don't want to rush it with the World Cup so close," Baxter said.
Baxter was forced out of the Wallabies' starting line-up against Wales in May after suffering a knee injury and has as yet been unable to force his way back into the starting XV.
But the veteran front-rower is adamant the team's success is more important than any individual aspirations.
"Everyone's going over with a team mentality, you have to with a squad of thirty," Baxter said.
"Obviously I'd like to start every game but I'm not sure if that's going to happen so my attitude will be, if I'm not starting, to help the person who is starting to make sure they can do the best job they can to help the team win."
And while Baxter is no World Cup rookie the magnitude of the occasion is not lost on the Test veteran.
"Last time was a bit different because it was all a bit of a shock for me but this time is still exciting," Baxter said.
"It'll be great this time to have it in France, a non-English speaking country and it will be very interesting to see how the French embrace the World Cup," he said.
Following a three-day camp in Sydney next week the Wallabies will head to Portugal on Thursday for a seven-day camp before arriving at their World Cup base in Montpellier.
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