Australia flyhalf Stephen Larkham will be available to play in the knockout stages of the World Cup after undergoing knee surgery on Sunday.
Wallaby coach John Connolly said the operation had been a success and as there was no serious damage, Larkham would be able to play again during the later stages if the team got that far.
'Stephen had his operation this morning,' Connolly told reporters at the team's Montpellier hotel. 'As Martin Raftery, our doctor, thought, there was a just bit of loose material in there, a bit of muck.
'They cleaned that out and Stephen will be available for a semi-final and maybe a quarter-final - if we get there.'
There were fears Larkham might be in danger of missing the rest of the tournament after his knee locked up during a practice session in Cardiff on Friday, forcing him to miss Saturday's Pool B clash with Wales.
The Wallabies withstood a determined second-half comeback from Wales to win the game 32-20 and seize control of the group, allowing a relieved Connolly to give his battered players a rest in next week's match against Fiji.
A number of Australian players had been nursing injuries, both before and after the game, but Connolly said there were no major problems to worry about.
The biggest concern was over the Australian captain Stirling Mortlock who played only the first half against Wales after partially dislocating his shoulder.
Connolly said Mortlock had been examined by the doctors after the team flew back from Cardiff to their base camp in southern France and the skipper would be fine to play after a short break.
'Stirling's settled down pretty well. If push comes to shove he could probably even play next weekend,' Connolly said.
'But the situation we're in he may well have one or two weeks off, and hopefully focus on a quarter-final.'
Connolly said utility back Adam Ashley-Cooper was also showing signs of recovery after missing the Wales game with a toe injury.
'Adam, we hope, will be OK, but we won't know that until Tuesday or Wednesday,' Connolly said. 'His toe's plateaued a little bit but hopefully he'll be OK for selection, which is important for the balance of our side.'
