Wales centre Jamie Roberts will miss his country's November internationals after being told he needs surgery to cure a wrist injury.
Cardiff Blues star Roberts will have the operation to cure a long-standing problem which first flared up on the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa in 2009.
The 23-year-old, who has 24 caps, is expected to be sidelined for the first half of the season, meaning he will miss the clashes with Australia, South Africa, Fiji and New Zealand in Cardiff in November.
"I injured my wrist during the second Test in South Africa last summer," said Roberts, who should return in time for the Six Nations tournament early next year.
"I had a couple of MRI scans which unfortunately didn't pick up the injury.
"It wasn't until the surgeon had a look with a camera into the joint at the end of the season that the full extent of the injury was diagnosed.
"I played all of last season with a lot of pain in my wrist and so it is logical to get it sorted as soon as possible.
"It's pretty disappointing to be missing more or less the first half of the season, but I'll use the time to rid my body of any niggles."
Copyright 2010 AFP Global Edition
