League: Lockyer, Hindmarsh out

MELBOURNE - Australian captain Darren Lockyer has been ruled out of rugby league for up to three months after breaking a bone in his left foot.

Parramatta forward Nathan Hindmarsh has also been ruled out of the remainder of the Tri-Nations series involving with New Zealand and Britain after the recurrence of a knee injury.

Both players withdrew from training in Paris, where the Kangaroos are preparing for a test against France.

An MRI scan confirmed Lockyer had broken a bone in his left foot and will be sidelined for two to three months, though no surgery is required, the National Rugby League said in a statement.

Hindmarsh's knee injury, which he sustained in the final match of the NRL's regular season, also forced him to pull out of the training session.

"While there had been positive signs with the knee the breakdown... clearly showed that he could not be risked again during the tour," the statement said.

Team management will decide over the next two days whether to bring in replacements for either player.

The team for this weekend's match against France in Perpignan will be named tomorrow.

New Zealand, who played England last weekend, play Great Britain in Huddersfield on Sunday morning (NZT), while Australia play Great Britain on November 19 at Hull in the final round robin match.

The final is on November 26 at Elland Road in Leeds.

- REUTERS