Sam Warburton will miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery, the Welsh Rugby Union has announced

The Lions captain – who has not played since he returned from tour in New Zealand – is currently out with a neck injury but decided to have an operation to fix an existing problem with his knee.

The recovery time is anticipated to be between four and six months and means the 29-year-old flanker will miss the Six Nations as well the Cardiff Blues’ remaining campaign in the Guinness Pro 14 and Europe.

Warburton said: “In close consultation with the WRU and Cardiff Blues we decided it would be proactive to have surgery now on a knee injury and I’m looking forward to returning to action fully fit.”

It is the latest is a series of injuries that have restricted the former Wales captain’s appearances in the past few seasons, including a knee injury that placed a doubt over his Lions participation towards the end of last season.

He admitted earlier this season that he was not hopeful of being fit in time for the start of the Six Nations and there were also reports he was considering taking a sabbatical for the remainder of the campaign.

Now, he will doing just that but in a forced absence as he recovers from surgery.