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Eagles lock has his wings clipped

Homeward bound: Luke Gross

The United States' most capped player, lock Luke Gross, has been ruled out of the World Cup without playing a game. Gross has flown home to undergo surgery, following a training ground mishap which saw him burst a disc in his back.

The US Eagles have announced that rookie lock John van der Giessen has been called up as his replacement - with the Eagles scheduled to play Samoa on Wednesday (September 26) and South Africa next Saturday (September 30) in their two remaining World Cup matches.

"We brought in John not only as an option at lock, but also because we can see that he has a bright future with US Rugby and this experience is immeasurable," head coach Peter Thorburn said.

"He was also right on the edge of making the squad in the first place and he has definitely earned his way to France, if it is only for the last couple games," Thorburn added.

Having looked forward to his eighth World Cup match, Gross had an ironic turn of events when he was injured during a scrumming practice just days before he was set to start at lock for the Eagles against England on September 8.

The 36-year-old Gross admitted the injury could potentially be career-ending.

"I knew it was just a matter of time before something like this would happen," Gross said somberly.

"It's obviously very frustrating to have made it this far, put in all the work to get here, and not be able to play. But, then again, I have to look on the bright side and appreciate the fact that I have made two prior squads and at my age it was an honour to have made it this far.

"I need to get back and have surgery as soon as possible," Gross added.

"They need to clean up portions of that disc so that I can hopefully come back and finish out my professional career with Doncaster. But following that, I'm fairly sure that this is the end of my playing career."

Gross, with 62 caps in over 11 seasons with the Eagles, said there is always the possibility of coming back in some shape or form to the US Rugby organization.

"I'm open to anything," he said.

"With rugby where it is in the US right now, there is no telling what is possible. It would be really exciting to be a part of US Rugby in the near future and depending on the opportunities, I would definitely consider moving back to the States."

Although he has been unable to join his team-mates on the field, he has been playing an active roll at training, passing on the knowledge he has gained.