Gavin Henson will miss Wales' tour to South Africa next month after undergoing ankle surgery that will keep him out for 12 weeks.
The Ospreys centre, who was a member of this season's Six Nations grand slam-winning team, had keyhole surgery on damaged ligaments yesterday. It means there is no chance of him lining out against the Springboks in Bloemfontein and Pretoria.
Henson's absence will come as a blow to Wales coach Warren Gatland, who saw Henson play an instrumental role during this season's Six Nations campaign. The coach has already lost Henson's Ospreys colleague, scrum-half Mike Phillips, because of a serious knee injury, while Llanelli Scarlets number nine Dwayne Peel is battling to overcome a shoulder problem.
Henson picked up the injury during the Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat against Saracens almost four weeks ago. A specialist decided it would be in Henson's best interests to stabilise the joint to ensure no recurrence of the problem.
The Ospreys, meanwhile, continue their Magners League campaign against Edinburgh tomorrow night.
Head coach Lyn Jones said: "Preparations for Friday night's game have been hampered a little by a number of injuries in the camp, which is inevitable when you get to the end of a long campaign.
"When you look at the difficult season that our squad has had with so many big games, it comes as no surprise to see players becoming fatigued, especially when the matches continue to come thick and fast."
