Wales first five Gareth Anscombe has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup with ligament damage in his right knee, the second major injury blow for the Six Nations champion.
New Zealand-born Anscombe was hurt in the loss to England in a World Cup warmup game at Twickenham yesterday. No. 8 Taulupe Faletau broke his collarbone at training and will also miss the World Cup in Japan.
The Welsh Rugby Union said this morning that Anscombe has an anterior cruciate ligament injury. It didn't specify how long it expected Anscombe to be sidelined for but confirmed he was out of contention for the World Cup, which starts next month.
"Not quite the way I was hoping my World Cup dream would finish," Anscombe said on Twitter.
"Been a pretty tough 24 hours to take but I’m very thankful and humbled for all the kind well wishes.
"On a positive note I’m excited to watch this Welsh team go on and do something special."
Anscombe was a key player in the Wales team that won the Six Nations title and Grand Slam in March.
After starting his career with the Blues and Chiefs in Super Rugby, the 28-year-old moved to Cardiff in 2014 and made his debut for Wales a year later.
- The Associated Press contributed to this report
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