All Blacks fly-half Aaron Cruden will likely miss this year’s Rugby World Cup after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a Super Rugby match on Friday.

Cruden underwent scans on Monday that confirmed the seriousness of his injury. His Chiefs Super Rugby team said he will see a surgeon on Wednesday to arrange a full knee reconstruction.

The surgery is expected to keep the 26-year-old out of rugby for six months, making him unavailable for the World Cup which begins in England in September. He would likely have been first-choice fly-half for New Zealand as they defend their world title.