Wales' Jonathan Davies ruled out of Six Nations with knee injury

Wales will be without centre Jonathan Davies for the 2020 Six Nations after he was ruled out for at least six months due to impending knee surgery.

Davies, 31, sustained the injury during a pool game against Fiji at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

He missed the quarter-final against France but returned for the semi-final against eventual winners South Africa, while he also played in the bronze medal match against New Zealand.

The timetable for Davies' recovery means the Six Nations, which begins for Wales with a home fixture against Italy on February 1 and runs until March 14, will come too soon for him in his recovery.

Injury update: Rhys Patchell & Jonathan Davies both face surgery following injuries sustained at RWC Patchell expected to return to play between 12-16 weeks following a shoulder injury whereas Jonathan Davies faces at least six months recovering from knee surgery. pic.twitter.com/VNDNf2y36f

— Welsh Rugby Union (@WelshRugbyUnion) November 12, 2019

Also set for a spell on the sidelines following Wales' return from the tournament in Japan is fly-half Rhys Patchell. Davies' Scarlets team-mate will miss between 12 and 16 weeks due to shoulder surgery.

Wales are defending Six Nations champions having achieved the Grand Slam in the 2019 tournament.

They will be under the leadership of Wayne Pivac following the departure of Warren Gatland, who spent 12 years at the helm.