(Reuters) - New Zealand outside back Will Jordan will miss the entire Super Rugby Pacific season and the July test series against England after being scheduled for surgery on a shoulder injury, the Canterbury Crusaders said on Tuesday.
Jordan, whose brilliance on the wing was a highlight of New Zealand's run to the World Cup final last year, had been carrying the injury since last season, the club said.
"After assessment from the Crusaders medical team he will undergo surgery and as a result be unavailable for selection during the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season," the Super Rugby outfit said in a statement.
"He is expected to be fit to return to play in approximately six months."
The lightning quick 25-year-old has scored a try a game in his 31-test career, including a tournament-topping eight at last year's World Cup, and will be sorely missed when the All Blacks take on England twice and Fiji once in July.
His absence will also be a major blow for the Crusaders as they go for an eighth straight Super Rugby title this season under new coach Rob Penney.
The Crusaders get the new campaign underway with a re-match of last year's final against the Waikato Chiefs in Hamilton on Friday.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
