Allen ruled out in new injury blow for Wales
CENTRE Cory Allen has been released from Wales’ World Cup squad after suffering a hamstring injury during Sunday’s Pool A victory over Uruguay.
Allen, who scored three tries in a 54-9 victory before going off injured, will be replaced by Newport Gwent Dragons’ Tyler Morgan, the Welsh Rugby Union announced.
Morgan – part of Wales’ World Cup training group but failed to make the final 31-man cut last month – linked up with the squad in London yesterday.
Allen, 22, had become only the fifth Wales player in World Cup history to score a hat-trick of tries before departing the action just before half-time.
The Cardiff Blues player now joins Leigh Halfpenny (knee) and Rhys Webb (foot) in suffering a World Cup knockout blow. Halfpenny’s squad replacement, Eli Walker, was also released due to a hamstring problem only a week after being called up.
Morgan, who turned 20 earlier this month, made his Test debut in the World Cup warmup defeat at home to Ireland over six weeks ago, and he follows scrum-half Mike Phillips and back-row forward Ross Moriarty in linking up with the World Cup squad after originally missing out on selection.
“It’s disappointing to lose Cory in this way, especially following his man-of-the-match display against Uruguay,” Wales head coach Warren Gatland said.
Gatland said that Allen had suffered “a significant tear” in his hamstring, but Wales’ injury worries might not necessarily end with the loss of four times-capped Allen as they build towards facing fellow Pool A heavyweights England at Twickenham on Saturday
Full-back Liam Williams, playing his first game since the end of last season due to foot trouble, picked up a thigh injury against Uruguay while Paul James and Samson Lee experienced tight calf muscles, with their fellow prop Aaron Jarvis suffering rib damage.
“Liam has got a knock on the thigh and I’ve spoken to the medics to get an update, but they said it will take 24 hours to make an assessment,” Gatland said.
Wales prepared for the World Cup with gruelling training camps in Switzerland and Qatar, but Gatland added: “Sometimes you just get bad luck, and we’ve had that at the moment. That happens at this level.”