Worcester's Francois Hougaard out for three months

Worcester Warriors confirmed on Friday that South Africa international Francois Hougaard is set to undergo a lengthy rehabilitation period following a shoulder injury.

The 28-year-old's injury was assessed by Worcester's medical team when he returned to the club following the conclusion of the Rugby Championship tournament. He will now undergo a shoulder surgery which is likely to keep him out of action for the rest of the year.

A statement released by the Worcester Warriors confirmed that Hougaard will need at least 10-12 weeks of rehabilitation.

In a statement, Worcester said: "The Warriors medical department assessed Hougaard on his return to Sixways and diagnosed the player with a shoulder injury.

"Hougaard visited specialist consultants following the diagnosis and was given an MRI scan to allow the club to fully understand the extent of the injury.

"The scan confirmed that Hougaard will need a Biceps Tenodesis and rotator cuff repair and will be ruled out of action for 10 to 12 weeks."

High performance director of Worcester Warriors, Nick Johnston, expressed his disappointment that former Bulls scrum-half was sent to the club with "an undiagnosed injury". However, he assured that the club will offer full support to Hougaard during this period.

"We are extremely disappointed that Francois returned to the club with an undiagnosed injury.

"As a club, player welfare is our priority, and we will be using our every resource to ensure that Francois has access to the right surgeon and that he receives the highest level of support during his rehabilitation."