Wallabies fullback Folau has surgery, out for three months

Published 11/12/2015, 1:17 AM EST

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Wallabies fullback Israel Folau requires surgery on the ankle he injured at the Rugby World Cup and will be sidelined for at least three months, the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) said on Thursday.

The former rugby league international sustained the injury during the pool stage of the tournament but played through the pain in the semi-final against Argentina and the final, which Australia lost to New Zealand.

Folau is likely to miss the start of the Super Rugby season for the New South Wales Waratahs, who kick off their first campaign under Michael Cheika’s replacement Daryl Gibson against the Queensland Reds on Feb. 27.

The 26-year-old has been almost an ever-present in the Australia side since scoring two tries on debut against the British and Irish Lions in 2013.

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Ian Ransom)

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.