Wallabies fullback Israel Folau will be sidelined for three months after scans confirmed he will require surgery on an ankle injury sustained at the Rugby World Cup.
The 2014 and 2015 John Eales Medalist played in all but two of the Wallabies’ Rugby World Cup matches, missing only the Quarter-Final victory over Scotland due to the injury.
Folau suffered the injury in the earlier clash with England, but played through the injury the following weekend in the Pool A decider against Wales before missing the Quarter-Final. He then returned to start at fullback in both the Semi-Final and the Final.
Despite being hampered by the injury for most of the tournament, Folau ran for the most metres of any Wallabies player and finished seventh overall with 366 metres gained over his six matches.
Since making his debut in 2013, Folau has started and played in 38 Tests for the Wallabies, missing only the one match through injury.
Folau will complete his rehabilitation in Sydney ahead of the 2016 Asteron Life Super Rugby season, where he will once again be a key player for the NSW Waratahs.
The Waratahs open their 2016 Super Rugby season against the Queensland Reds on February 27.
