Jamie Ritchie to miss Scotland's World Cup opener against Ireland

Scotland back-row Jamie Ritchie will miss Rugby World Cup opening game against Ireland in Yokohama next weekend following a broken cheekbone.

The 23-year-old suffered the blow during the recently concluded game against Georgia where he left the field in the 46th minute and has now a titanium plate.

"We know some players can come back in less time than that, but we're going to aim for the Samoa game rather than Ireland," said Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend.

"Jamie had surgery on Monday, so he joined us on Thursday. He's still recovering from the operation and also jetlag.

"We expect him to resume training next week. He's unlikely to be available for the Ireland game but he will be back in full training after that."

Edinburgh's Magnus Bradbury will remain with the squad as a back up for Ritchie.

Apart from Ritchie, there are also other injury concerns for Townsend with Blair Kinghorn and Ben Toolis recovering from head knocks while Blade Thomson and Jonny Gray are having hamstring issues.

Following the game against Ireland, Scotland will also face Samoa, Russia and host Japan in the opening stage of the tournament.