Wales RWC 2015: Scott Williams and Hallam Amos ruled out with injury as Wales call up James Hook and Gareth Anscombe

Williams suffered a knee injury whiule Amos appeared to dislocate his shoulder with Hook and Anscombe called up as injury replacements

Jack de Menezes
Monday 28 September 2015 16:27 BST
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Scott Williams has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup
Scott Williams has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup (Getty Images)

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Wales have been hit with the news that Scott Williams and Hallam Amos will play no further part in the Rugby World Cup after suffering injury in the 28-25 victory over England on Saturday.

Wales sealed one of their greatest ever victories at Twickenham, but it came at a serious cost as the pair were taken off injured while full-back Liam Williams was also carried off on a stretcher with suspected concussion.

There was far worse though, as Williams suffered a nasty looking knee injury that forced him to be carrier off on a stretch too, while Amos departed while Liam Williams received treatment with a dislocated shoulder.

Having already seen their squad decimated by injury, Wales head coach Warren Gatland has called for reinforcements with Gloucester fly-half James Hook and Cardiff back Gareth Anscombe brought in to the 31-man squad.

As a result of Saturday’s bruising encounter, Wales finished the match with two scrum-halves and two fly-halves on the field, as Lloyd Williams was forced onto the wing while Rhys Priestland filled in at full-back.

The Welsh Rugby Union confirmed the news on Monday ahead of their next encounter against Fiji on Thursday that could see a number of changes to try and negate the five-day turnaround.

A statement issued by the WRU confirmed the call-up for Hook and Anscombe, subject to official confirmation by World Rugby.

"Following the Rugby World Cup victory against England on Saturday, Scott Williams (knee) and Hallam Amos (shoulder) have sustained injuries that will preclude them from taking any further part in the tournament, and they have subsequently been released from the Wales squad,” read the statement.

"Both players are currently being assessed by specialists to establish an accurate prognosis.

"James Hook and Gareth Anscombe, who were both part of Wales' Rugby World Cup training squad and featured in warm-up Tests ahead of the tournament, have been called into the squad as replacements."

Hallam Amos suffered a dislocated shoulder in the win over England
Hallam Amos suffered a dislocated shoulder in the win over England (Getty Images)

On top of the injury replacements, the WRU announced that Liam Williams will not be available for selection against Fiji this Thursday as he begins a period of recovery from concussion after being struck on the head by the shin of England flanker Tom Wood – who has since been cleared of deliberately making contact with the Welshman and avoided a suspension.

"Liam Williams sustained concussion in the same (England) game and will not be considered for the Fiji fixture due to the impending time frame of the game.

"He will be continually assessed and is to undertake a graduated return to play before being considered for selection for Wales' following game against Australia."

Wales have already had to deal with the loss of a number of key players, with Jonathan Davies, Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb all ruled out before the tournament got underway.

Eli Walker was drafted into the squad as injury cover, only to suffer a knock himself that required him to be replaced. The Ospreys utility back, who plays predominantly on the wing but can also cover full-back, is free to be called up again though if he recovers from a hamstring injury given that he was replaced before the final squad deadline.

Centre Cory Allen has already had to leave the squad after he scored a hat-trick against Uruguay, with the Cardiff Blues back set to be out for three months with a hamstring injury.

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