Gonzalo Bertranou ruled out for the rest of the season

Argentina international scrum half Gonzalo Bertranou will miss the rest of the season following surgery, Dragons Defence Coach Simon Cross has confirmed.

Bertranou had an operation this week on a foot ligament injury sustained against Vodacom Bulls at the start of the month.

The 29-year-old - who has made four appearances for the Men of Gwent his season - will now commence this rehabilitation with the club.

“We’ve had some bad news this week with Gonzalo,” revealed Cross.

“He’s had an operation on his foot, and he won’t feature for us again this season, which is a huge disappointment for us all.

“Gonzalo is an integral part of squad, and he will obviously be missed. He is a great competitor; a great bloke and we wish him well with his recovery.”

Meanwhile, Cross has revealed more positive news over dynamic back row Ollie Griffiths.

Griffiths was forced off in the first half of the EPCR Challenge Cup clash with Section Paloise with a pectoral injury.

The 27-year-old – currently on 98 appearances for Dragons – does not require surgery and will now continue to be assessed at the club’s Ystrad Mynach HQ.

“It doesn’t look like he needs an operation which is good news,” added Cross.

“It was disappointing to see Ollie come off early in Pau, but nobody will work harder than him to get back out on the field as soon as possible.”