Knee injury rules Walker out of Scots World Cup squad

Walker was taken off three minutes before the final whistle at Murrayfield

Nikki Walker has been ruled out of Scotland's World Cup squad after he was stretchered off in their 23-12 warm-up victory over Italy.

The 29-year-old Ospreys back sustained medial ligament damage after coming on as a substitute at Murrayfield.

"It's obviously disappointing for Nikki," said head coach Andy Robinson, who will name his squad on Monday.

"We all feel for him but injuries do happen and you just have to deal with them. We wish Nikki a speedy recovery."

Robinson added: "Nikki has worked exceptionally hard in training and some of the running lines he made yesterday when he came off the bench were first-class."

The Scots followed up the 10-6 win over Ireland a fortnight ago to claim a 100% record from their two warm-up fixtures, with tries from Alasdair Dickinson and Mike Blair supported by 13 points from the boot of Dan Parks.

Two defensive lapses were punished by Italy as Tommaso Benvenuti and Fabio Sementazo crossed for tries.

However, Robinson said: "I wanted to watch today's game to confirm everything. I'm pleased with what I saw today to confirm it.

"The one thing I've been really pleased about is the way we've started games and the energy we've put into that first 20 minutes.

"It's important we're able to build on the starts we're getting. Credit to Italy, though."

Robinson believes Scotland are improving and must learn to finish chances.

"The team are frustrated that we weren't able to go on to win by 40 points with the opportunities we created," he added.

"That's the mentality, the skill level, the decision-making we've got to be able to find.

"We are working hard to create opportunities - it's now about really nailing them."