Hall ruled out of World Cup
By Graeme Mair Last updated: 31st July 2007
Scotland hooker Dougie Hall is out of the World Cup due to a knee injury.
Hall, 26, tore medial ligaments in his left knee during training on Monday and will be sidelined for at least three months.
Scotland team doctor James Robson said: "Following the injury at training, we arranged for Dougie to go for a scan, the results of which we received last night.
"The scan confirmed our initial diagnosis that he has torn his medial ligament and sustained some additional minor damage to the joint.
"We will now embark on further assessment and treatment but the average recovery time for this type of injury is 12-16 weeks."
The loss of first-choice hooker Hall is a significant blow for head coach Frank Hadden.
Hadden has called Fergus Thompson into his training squad to compete for the No.2 shirt with Ross Ford and Scott Lawson.
"It's obviously disappointing news for Dougie and I wish him a speedy recovery," said Hadden.
"He has made enormous progress in the last couple of years and been integral to the national squad in that time."
Scotland are drawn in Pool C of the World Cup and begin their campaign against Portugal in St Etienne on September 9.
