The NSW Waratahs' Super Rugby troubles have deepened with star playmaker Bernard Foley sent home from South Africa with continuing concussion symptoms.
The Wallabies five-eighth, after suffering a head knock in a pre-season trial against the Highlanders, has missed the opening two rounds of the competition.
He was considered close to being available for Sunday morning's 55-36 loss to the Lions in Johannesburg, but the Waratahs are taking no risks with his welfare.
"The best thing for him right now is to return to Sydney and he's going to see a neurologist and have some more tests and, hopefully, that will send him on the right course to improve," Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson said on Sunday night.
"Obviously, it's very frustrating for him at the moment. He desperately wants to be out on the field and he's just not 100 per cent.
"He's hanging in that zone where we certainly can't clear him to play."
Gibson said Foley was feeling "very heavy in his head" and experiencing low-grade headaches, particularly from exercising.
"He's been photo-sensitive during that time as well so he's experiencing all the classic signs of post-concussion symptoms that go along with it," Gibson said.
"It's one of those things that a number of players have suffered (from) in the past. It does improve with time. The unknown question is how long.
"So we want to set him on a course of action where we can investigate further if there's any other underlying problems."
Foley will have scans after flying back to Sydney early on Monday morning and Gibson - who believes the flyhalf has never previously been concussed - is refusing to place a timeline on his return for the Waratahs.
The coach pointed out that former Hurricanes and Chiefs player Charlie Ngatai lost an entire season to post-concussion symptoms.
"James Broadhurst, a lock for the Hurricanes, spent over a year out," Gibson said.
"So it's very much unknown. It's simply our hope that he recovers quickly."
"It's all new to him. I can certainly empathise with him because I had 10 weeks out myself with post-concussion so I understand what he's going through."
