Gareth Anscombe's message after surgery and having new club contract cancelled

Wales fly-half Gareth Anscombe has said he is “devastated” after having his contract at Japanese club Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath cancelled after undergoing surgery for the groin injury he picked up at the World Cup.

The 32-year-old pulled out minutes before Wales’ pool stage encounter with Georgia in France with a groin injury, a week after being named the player of the match against Australia. He subsequently missed the quarter-final loss to Argentina, which effectively signalled the end of his Wales career as he already had his move to Japan Rugby League One agreed.

However, Sungoliath confirmed last week that the 37-cap international had been deregistered and replaced by Argentina’s Nicolas Sanchez- the scorer of the match-winning try against an Anscombe-less Wales at the World Cup. He had already teamed up with his new club over a month ago, but shared a post on Sunday revealing he had undergone surgery on his groin.

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Though it is not necessarily clear when Anscombe was operated on, he shared a photo of himself post-surgery in hospital, where he revealed he will be out of action for eight to ten weeks.

It is unclear now what the future holds for the Wales international, and he finished off his post by saying we will “see what happens next.”

He wrote on Instagram: “Devastated to find out the groin injury I sustained around the time of the World Cup meant I required minor surgery, but happy to say it went well and I should be back up and running in the next 8-10 weeks.

“Fairly mixed emotions right now, but I’m focused on getting myself right then see what happens next.”

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After replacing Anscombe, Sanchez said: “I am very excited to start this new experience at Tokyo Sungoliath, a club with a rich history and excellence.?Playing in League One will be a big challenge, given the presence of great teams and players.

“Japan is a country I admire a lot. It has a fascinating culture, and its people are very kind and respectful. It will be a great experience for our entire family.

“I am eager to start playing and contribute my experience and energy to the team.”