Josh Adams has been ruled out of a comeback this weekend as the Wales wing battles for fitness ahead of the Six Nations.
The Worcester Warriors star has not played since injuring his hamstring last month and the club have warned that any setback now could lead to another six to eight weeks on the sidelines.
That would be another significant blow for Wales who are already without Leigh Halfpenny for an unspecified further period as he tries to overcome the effects of concussion.
Adams was included in coach Warren Gatland’s 39-man squad named on Tuesday, with the hope that he would be fit for the opening match against France in two weeks’ time.
But Worcester head coach Rory Duncan has ruled out Adams from a comeback this Saturday when the Warriors host Stade Francais in their final pool stage tie of the European Challenge Cup.
“Josh is not available for selection this week,” Duncan said. “He has had that hamstring injury for quite some time now.
“We have been managing him through the process and we want him to be 100 per cent. But hamstrings are one of those things that if we take a risk with it now he could be out for six to eight weeks.”
With Worcester having no fixture next weekend, Adams should be free to link up with Wales at the same time as the regional-based players next week, but his opportunities to prove his match fitness before Paris are now over.
Duncan added: “Obviously we don’t want to take away any opportunities from him.
“But it has been one of those niggling injuries where we were hoping that he was going to be cleared to play but not at this moment in time.”
Adams won the first of his six Wales caps in last season’s Six Nations and the 23-year-old then held his place for the big November Tests against both Australia and South Africa.
If fit, he would seem to be a likely starter on one wing – with George North on the other – when Wales open the tournament at the Stade de France on February 1.
But the former Scarlet has a major decision to make over the next few months as his Worcester contract counts down.
Well short of the 60-cap threshold, Adams would make himself ineligible for Wales if he signs a further deal with the English club, with both Cardiff Blues and the Dragons keen to offer him a return home.
