All Blacks five-eighth Aaron Cruden will miss the Rugby World Cup after being diagnosed with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Cruden limped from the field midway through the first half of the Chiefs’ 26-9 Super Rugby win over the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday.
Scans on Monday confirmed Cruden will need knee reconstruction surgery, which usually requires a recovery period of six months, ruling him out of the World Cup starting in September.
Cruden, who made his All Blacks debut against Ireland in 2010, has 37 Test caps and accumulated 280 points for New Zealand.