Wales' Liam Williams sidelined for three months after ankle surgery

Wales head coach Warren Gatland has confirmed that fullback Liam Williams will be sidelined for three months following a surgery on his injured ankle.

The 28-year-old suffered the blow during a training session ahead of the semi-final game against South Africa which he was forced to miss and had an operation on Tuesday to address the issue.

"I think he had surgery yesterday," Gatland said. "I think it will be three months. That surgery takes about that long.

"If we had made the final, he would still be here with us. In fairness to Saracens, they had agreed that.

"But if we weren't, they wanted to get him back for surgery as quickly as possible."

The news will also be a big blow for his club Saracens, who will miss him in the Premiership and European Champions Cup games.

Following their 16-19 defeat to South Africa in the semi-final, Wales will face New Zealand in the bronze medal match in Tokyo on Friday.