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Wales centre Jonathan Davies out of World Cup with knee injury

Jonathan Davies Wales 2015 Six Nations
Image: Jonathan Davies: Injury blow for Welsh centre

Wales centre Jonathan Davies has been ruled out of the World Cup after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.

The 27-year-old, who has played 48 times for Wales, suffered the knee injury while playing for Clermont Auvergne against Montpellier in the French Top 14 and will undergo surgery later this week.

It’s a disappointment for Jonathan and for us, but the advice is for him to have the surgery straight away.
Warren Gatland

The Welsh Rugby Union and Clermont medical teams have been in constant dialogue and Davies is likely to be unavailable for at least six months.

Wales head coach Warren Gatland said: “It’s a disappointment for Jonathan and for us, but the advice is for him to have the surgery straight away.  

"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."

Gatland is due to announce a World Cup training squad on June 8, with Wales preparing for a campaign that sees them in the same pool as England, Australia, Fiji and Uruguay.

Wales' opening World Cup fixture is against Uruguay in Cardiff on September 20, with the key England and Australia matches both taking place at Twickenham.

Davies' midfield partnership with Jamie Roberts has proved to be a bedrock of Wales' successes under Gatland, and his absence from the tournament that starts in September is a major setback.

Experienced Scarlets centre Scott Williams is the man likely to partner Harlequins-bound Roberts in the Wales midfield for the tournament, while Gatland is also likely to look closely at the merits of young centres like Cory Allen and Tyler Morgan as the World Cup countdown gathers pace.

Davies, though, has been one of Wales' most consistent performers in recent seasons, providing a powerful midfield presence in attack and defence as well as being a leading light in the British and Irish Lions series win in Australia.

He made his Wales debut in 2009 and was a pivotal member of teams that won successive Six Nations titles in 2012 and 2013.

That form was rewarded with a place on the Gatland-coached 2013 Lions tour to Australia, with Davies starting all three Tests as the Lions claimed a 2-1 series triumph.

Davies left the Scarlets to join Clermont last year, helping them reach this season's European Champions Cup final at Twickenham, where they lost to Toulon, while his club are also currently involved in the Top 14 title play-offs.

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