Dragons full-back Jordan Williams out for the season

The 26-year-old speedster suffered the injury after sidestepping in the first half of last week’s European Challenge Cup win against Enisei-STM in Krasnodar.

Williams was helped from the field at Kuban Stadium and scans on his return home revealed that he has torn his anterior cruciate ligaments and he will go under the knife.

“It’s incredibly disappointing for any player but Jordan was playing some of the best rugby that I have seen from him and his counter-attacking is up there with the best,” said director of rugby Dean Ryan.

“The timing hurts us as a club because he is so influential in lots of things that we have been good at.

“The key is to have the surgery and start looking forward on what is always a long journey back from that sort of injury. There isn’t a shortcut with an ACL – it’s nine months, so he won’t play again this season.”

The livewire runner has been a regular in the Dragons XV since returning to Wales from Bristol in the summer of 2018, playing in 33 of 39 fixtures.

Williams currently leads the Guinness PRO14 for metres gained this season and has beaten 19 defenders, but the Dragons will now have to cope without his game-breaking abilities with Will Talbot-Davies the leading candidate to play full-back.

The 22-year-old from Solihull, who was spotted by the Welsh Exiles programme and played for Wales at last year’s Rugby World Cup Sevens, has made 19 Dragons appearances and is now set for a run of games.

“With Will it is his choice of line, because he is a bigger man whereas Jordan can take the ball and potentially could go anywhere,” said Ryan, whose side host Zebre in Newport on Saturday.

“Will’s choices need to be good to create space and we have seen some of that on the outside flanks in recent weeks.

“This has an impact on the back three and we need Will to have a run of three, four or five games on the trot to see how he does with game management.

“We had made progress with Jordan in that area and about choosing when to counter-attack and when to put pressure back on the opposition.

“We’ve got some options and one person’s mishap is another’s opportunity, that’s where we need to be as a club.

“It happened with Josh Lewis, which made it about Arwel Robson and Jacob Botica behind Sam Davies.

“That has been a big emphasis for us because in the past we have very reliant on a small group of players. Young players grow to a point and then have to get a raft of games.”

Wales sevens international Owen Jenkins, who has played seven games on the wing this season after returning to 15-a-side, and Dafydd Howells can also play across the back three.

Jacob Botica, a fly-half by trade, came on at 15 for Williams in Russia and suffered a blow to the head in the last minute but is set to be fit to face Zebre.

Wing Jared Rosser, the 21-year-old who has scored 13 tries in 40 regional appearances, is also nearing a return after missing the start of the season with a leg injury.