Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne cut by struggling San Francisco 49ers

Jarryd Hayne was a superstar rugby player in Australia. These days he’s just the latest cut by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL.

Hayne’s dream of being an NFL player was put on hold Saturday, less than halfway through his first season, when he was released by the 49ers. The statement announcing his cut didn’t even warrant a quote.

His spot on the San Francisco roster will be taken over by Kendall Gaskins, who was promoted from the practice squad after starting running back Carlos Hyde was ruled out for Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Rams.

Hayne can re-sign with the 49ers if he is not claimed off waivers by another team. The Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions gave Hayne a look before he joined San Francisco.

Hayne, 27, announced just over a year ago that he would be retiring from the Australian National Rugby League. He left the NRL, where the “Hayne Plane,” as he is known, was twice player of the year and the league’s highest paid player, to pursue a sport he’d never played competitively.

In March, he announced he’d signed with the 49ers.

Hayne earned a role on the 49ers’ 53-man roster after a highlight-filled preseason with a couple of swift returns for 33 and 28 yards and 175 rushing yards in 25 carries, second-most behind the Lions’ Zach Zenner (183).

In his regular-season debut, Hayne fumbled his first return against the Minnesota Vikings on “Monday Night Football.” Through six regular-season games, he fumbled twice more and didn’t see a lot of time on the field.

With Hyde as the bell-cow in San Francisco and a roster that includes Reggie Bush, Hayne was afforded just eight carries for 25 yards. He returned eight punts for 76 yards with his biggest return a run for 37 yards against the Arizona Cardinals.

The 49ers (2-5) are set to play the Rams (3-3) at 10 a.m. PST

Follow Matt Wilhalme on Twitter @mattwilhalme