Wales' Gareth Anscombe and Willis Halaholo out of New Zealand tour
Sunday 22 December 2019 17:31, UK
Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has ruled Gareth Anscombe and Willis Halaholo out of next year's New Zealand tour due to their long-standing knee injuries.
New Zealand-born fly-half Anscombe missed the World Cup in Japan after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in a warm-up match against England in August.
Anscombe has now been forced to undergo a second operation with Pivac not considering him to face the All Blacks.
"Gareth's working his way back from an ACL injury, which has had its problems in the healing process," Pivac said.
"He's looking like he'll miss the New Zealand tour. The main thing is that he gets that knee right and gets back to 100 per cent."
Meanwhile, fellow New Zealander Halaholo, who qualifies to play for Wales through residency rules, also suffered a season-ending knee injury before he could play against the Barbarians last month.
Wales will begin their test series against the All Blacks in Auckland on July 4, before the second test in Wellington seven days later.
