Owen Lane released from Wales' Six Nations squad after injury

Wales have released Cardiff Blues winger Owen Lane from the Six Nations squad ahead of the tournament opener against Italy following a hamstring injury.

The 22-year-old has played two Tests for Wales - both of it coming last year - and was part of the World Cup campaign in Japan where he featured in the game against the All Blacks.

A statement released by the Welsh Rugby Union revealed that Lane will undergo scans next week to assess the extent of damage.

"Further assessments will be concluded early next week to establish an accurate prognosis," read the statement.

Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has not named any replacement for Lane with Josh Adams, George North, Leigh Halfpenny, Jonah Holmes and uncapped duo Louis Rees-Zammit and Johnny McNicholl in contention for the game against Franco Smith's men.

Wales will already miss the services of Liam Williams for the opening game after the Saracens' star failed to recover from an ankle injury that he suffered during the World Cup.

The two teams have played each other 27 times with Wales winning 24 out of it while Italy emerged victorious on two occasions (2003 and 2007) and one game ended in a draw (2006 at Principality Stadium).