Wales hit by Rees blow

Wales' Betfair Rugby World Cup preparations have been dealt a major blow following the news that their captain Matthew Rees will undergo surgery on his continued neck troubles, ruling him out of action for the foreseeable future. The British and Irish Lion had been given painkilling injections in a bid to subdue the problem, but with worries regarding Rees' future health now surfacing, surgery has been deemed the only option. The news comes after Morgan Stoddart and Gavin Henson were also ruled out of the tournament with their respective injuries during the recent two games against England.

Wales' medical performance manager Prav Mathema admitted the decision for Rees to undergo surgery was the only option to clear up the problem, with both the rest of the hooker's career in mind as well as his future health.

"The safety and longevity of Matthew's career is paramount. We are all very disappointed that Matthew will not be with us in the World Cup but his health is at the fore of our decision," he said.

While the World Cup is now out of the question for Rees, Wales will be hoping to have their influential skipper back in time for next year's Six Nations, but for the time being Richard Hibbard has been called up to challenge Hew Bennett, Lloyd Burns and Ken Owens for the number two jersey. Ospreys' man Hibbard will start Wales' final warm-up game this weekend against Argentina, with a perfect chance to impress Warren Gatland just before the head coach announces his final 30-man squad the following day. Anyone betting on rugby should keep an eye on the announcement.

Not only have Wales lost their talented hooker, they have also lost an experienced skipper and driving force behind the forward pack. Fellow front-rower Adam Jones has been handed the armband for this Saturday's match, although Sam Warburton is widely expected to be given the job during the World Cup. The flanker has captained Wales before when Rees has been missing and the 22-year old is widely viewed as the long term successor to the current skipper.