British & Irish Lion Jonathan Davies will miss this year’s World Cup after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament over the weekend.
Davies, 27, was playing for his club side Clermont Auvergne against Montpellier on Saturday when he suffered the injury.
The setback – which will need surgery in the next few days and will then require at least a six-month layoff – will rule Davies out of the Rugby World Cup.
Davies, who started all three Tests for the Lions in their historic 2013 series win, will be a big loss for Wales but head coach Warren Gatland admits the long-term future of his star is the priority.
"It's a disappointment for Jonathan and for us, but the advice is for him to have the surgery straight away,” said Gatland.
"Obviously the injury rules him out of the 2015 Rugby World Cup but our focus is his long term career and we will be working closely with him during his recovery looking towards the 2016 Six Nations."
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