The 29-year-old number eight was pencilled in to make his England debut in this weekends RBS 6 Nations opener against Scotland at Twickenham, but has been ruled out for the entire tournament with the injuries suffered in Bristols win at Northampton last Saturday.

As well as dislocating his kneecap when falling awkwardly, subsequent scans have revealed Ward-Smith also ruptured his patella tendon.

Bristol physio Paul Tompkins said: Dan underwent surgery on Monday evening to repair the damage. I've spoken to the surgeon and he's very happy with how it went.

Dan's obviously now facing a lengthy spell of rehab but he's a dedicated trainer and he won't shirk the hard work.

He'll get all the best possible support to help him back towards full fitness.

Earlier this week Bristol coach Richard Hill admitted that Ward-Smith was likely to be out for six months if tests confirmed the patella tendon injury.

That would rule him out of Englands two-game tour to South Africa this May and June, and raise serious questions about his ability to participate in this Autumns World Cup.