WALES lock Alun Wyn Jones could miss most of the Six Nations after being ruled out for up to four months with a shoulder injury he sustained in Saturday's 26-12 battering to Argentina.
The 27-year-old Ospreys captain left the field a minute before half-time in the defeat to Los Pumas at the Millennium Stadium.
Scans have revealed he needs surgery to reconstruct his AC joint ligaments and the Ospreys captain will undergo surgery later this week.
"We will be looking at a 12 to 16 week rehab process post-op to get him back on the field," said Ospreys head physio Chris Towers.
If he is out of action for 16 weeks, it would see him miss the first three games of Wales' Six Nations campaign against Ireland, France and Italy.
This injury could also impact on his chances of making the Lions tour of Australia next summer, the second row a tourist when the side lost the series 2-1 to South Africa in 2009.
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