Wales have suffered a massive blow to their World Cup hopes with news that star centre Jonathan Davies will miss the tournament through injury.

The British & Irish Lions centre, who has played 48 times for Wales, suffered the injury while playing for Clermont Auvergne against Montpellier and will undergo surgery in the coming days.

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

The 27-year-old played an integral role in Wales' run to the semi-finals at the 2011 tournament, where he formed a formidable centre partnership with Jamie Roberts.

'It’s a disappointment for Jonathan and for us, but the advice is for him to have the surgery straight away,' said Wales coach Warren Gatland. 'Obviously the injury rules him out of the 2015 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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