The Stade Français man, who wore the Scotland jersey twice during the RBS 6 Nations, has been out of action with the injury since May and knew full well he faced a battle in order to prove his fitness in time for the trip to New Zealand.

And after talking it through with Robinson the decision was taken to rule the 59-cap man out of the running for the trip Down Under this autumn.

"Hugo has been working hard to recover from a knee injury but has not been able to take a full part in our training camp," said Robinson.

"But after talking this through with him we've decided to stand him down from our World Cup squad by mutual consent.

"While he may be fit to resume playing in mid-late August both Hugo and I have decided that he will not be part of our World Cup plans.

"Hugo has been very diligent in his rehabilitation programme and I'm sure he will be determined to perform for Scotland again in the future."