Canada will be without star winger Jeff Hassler for the June international series against Japan, Russia, and Italy. The World Cup standout has opted to undergo surgery on a troublesome shoulder problem with a view to returning to full fitness ahead of the 2016-17 Guinness Pro 12 season. Hassler suffered a minor leg injury last weekend while on Ospreys duty and had been due to miss at least another week of the current season, but the decision has now been made to have the surgery now.

The news will come as a blow to new Canadian coach Mark Anscombe, who has already lost experienced second row Brett Beukeboom for the June series with a knee injury. Canada are fortunate to have depth on the wing, with DTH van der Merwe one of the premier strike runners in Europe and Phil Mackenzie set to start a new adventure in PRO Rugby with San Diego next weekend. The imminent return of Taylor Paris from a long-term absence will also soften the loss of Hassler.