Prop Ryan Bevington will miss the autumn internationals after undergoing surgery on an ongoing groin complaint, club side Ospreys have confirmed.
The 25-year-old suffered the injury during the RBS 6 Nations championship earlier this year and has not played since February.
Bevington, who has won 13 Wales caps, appeared to be on the road to recovery.
But a setback is now set to keep him out of clashes against New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and Fiji later this year.
“After Ryan suffered a setback in his recovery we have sought opinion from some of the leading specialists in this field from across the UK,” said Ospreys medical performance manager Chris Towers.
“In consultation with Ryan we have agreed that the best option for him was the surgery to correct the problem. “An optimistic scenario would see him returning to training at the end of November.”
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