King (21) played the full 80 minutes of Ireland’s 5-49 defeat to England in Cork last weekend and was one of four Ireland players to have played every minute of the opening three rounds of the Six Nations. “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 in an IRFU statement. “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 team-mates 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.” The Wicklow backrower has made a huge impact since she made her international 15s debut last September. After playing with the sevens team at last summer’s Paris Olympics, King switched codes and won her first cap as a replacement against Australia in Belfast in the IRFU’s 150th Anniversary match. Two weeks later in Ireland’s opening game of the WXV1 competition against New Zealand in Vancouver, King replaced Edel McMahon eight minutes into the second half and scored two tries that helped record a stunning 29-27 win. She started her first Ireland game against Canada the following week and also started against the USA to help Ireland to second place overall. King’s outstanding performances were recognised when she became the first Irish woman to win an individual award at the World Rugby awards last November. King started all three games for Ireland in her debut Six Nations. She was ranked first for both attacking (85) and defensive (29) ruck hits in the championship overall while only England captain Zoe Aldcroft (25) has claimed more lineout takes than her (20, including 1 steal). Ireland captain McMahon could be return to the team to replace King for this weekend’s round 4 game against Wales in Newport.