Ireland back-row Erin King to miss World Cup with 'serious knee injury'

Ireland's Erin King is tackled by Maddie Feaunati of England. Pic: Ben Brady/Inpho

Ireland back-row Erin King has been ruled out of the remainder of Ireland’s Women’s Six Nations campaign and Rugby World Cup 2025 after suffering a knee injury in last weekend’s defeat to England.

King will undergo surgery on Thursday and begin her rehabilitation process at the IRFU High Performance Centre.

21-year-old King - who was last November named World Rugby Women’s XVs Breakthrough Player of the Year - will miss Ireland’s remaining Championship matches against Wales and Scotland, as well as the World Cup, which takes place in England in August and September.

“I’m heartbroken to have suffered a serious knee injury that means I will miss the rest of the Six Nations along with the Rugby World Cup,” King said.

“It feels very unfair right now but I’ve had the best few months with this team and I can’t wait to support in every way I can from the sidelines.

“It will be a long road ahead, but with the support I have from family, friends and teammates around me, I will learn to accept that everything happens for a reason and if I stick to the process and rehab programme set out by the medical team, I’ll be back better.”