Dan Biggar’s shoulder will be assessed by Wales medical staff on Sunday after the Ospreys’ No.10 was injured during his team’s defeat to Clermont Auvergne which ended the region’s campaign in Europe.
It leaves Wales worrying over the fitness of their outside-half just a fortnight before their opening NatWest Six Nations game against Scotland.
And it comes barely 24 hours after his fellow Wales No.10 Rhys Priestland was sidelined for the majority of the tournament due to a hamstring problem.
Biggar left the pitch at Stade Marcel-Michelin with his right shoulder in a shirt-sling six minutes from the end of Ospreys’ 24-7 European Champions Cup defeat against Clermont, which saw the French side qualify for the quarter-finals as winners of Pool 2.
Playmaker Biggar, who has won 60 Wales caps and toured New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions last summer, described his injury as “not too bad” shortly after going off.
He was on the receiving end of a powerful challenge from Clermont No.8 Fritz Lee. Ospreys head coach Steve Tandy, meanwhile, would only say “Dan’s with the medics”, although early indications appeared to suggest no structural damage to Biggar’s shoulder.
It is, though, the last thing Wales head coach Warren Gatland needs after naming a 39-man Six Nations squad last week.
Gatland does have other options in terms of the No.10 shirt, but they are inexperienced ones, facing an apparent choice between Gloucester’s Owen Williams, Scarlets back Rhys Patchell and Cardiff Blues’ Gareth Anscombe, should Biggar be ruled out.
Wales have already lost injured Lions Sam Warburton and Jonathan Davies from the entire Six Nations, while No.8 Taulupe Faletau is set to miss the first three matches as he recovers from a knee injury and lock Jake Ball remains absent due to a dislocated shoulder.
The inability of the Ospreys to turn their first-half pressure into points meant they lost their chance of going through and opened the door for reigning champions Saracens to remain in the hunt for one of the three best runners-up spots.
Ospreys skipper Alun Wyn Jones said: “It’s disappointing because of the shape of the pool. The way that we’ve played that was definitely not how we wanted to end up.
“When you are chasing it you make errors and that was the case in point with some of their points, that last try in particular.
“When you come away, particularly somewhere like here, you can’t afford to be that inconsistent, particularly in possession.”
Jones and his international colleagues will now link up with Wales, while the Ospreys face with away days against Connacht and Zebre sandwiching a Liberty Stadium South African double header.
“It’s a true test of the squad now, with boys going away for the international period and the challenge that we have in the PRO14” he said.
“We are in a difficult place and we haven’t shied away from that but now we’ll see where we are as a unit and as an organisation as a whole.
“We want to be back in this competition and short term, what’s remaining in this season, that has to be the goal. Beyond that we can’t look too far ahead.”
