Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones is set to be sidelined for “weeks not days” with the injury he suffered during the Autumn Nations Cup encounter with Italy.
The 35-year-old forward, Test rugby’s most-capped player, has undergone a scan on the knee he damaged in the clash at Parc y Scarlets last Saturday.
And Wales and his region the Ospreys are not expecting the talismanic lock to make a quickfire return.
"He's had a scan and we're assessing what that means," said Ospreys head coach Toby Booth.
"From a time-out point of view it's going to be weeks not days, which is disappointing for everybody.”
Wayne Pivac said after Wales’ 38-18 win over Italy that Jones appeared to have sustained medial-ligament damage.
He will be sidelined for the Ospreys' European Challenge Cup opener against Castres Olympique on Saturday evening. The Welsh region play Worcester the following weekend before heading into three Welsh derbies.
Wales start their Six Nations campaign with a clash against Ireland on February 7, barely eight weeks away.
Asked how many games he expected the Ospreys to be without Jones for, Booth said: “I can’t tell you that. I don’t know.
“Until we get the full picture on the scan, until we get recommendations from the consultants...I know Wales will be involved because he was in their charge, if you like, at the time.
“So there’s a few people who’ll need to compare notes.
“But I can’t answer the question, not because I don’t want to but because I don’t know.”
Heading into a key part of their season, the Ospreys will miss a player who has long meant so much to them. “It’s disappointing because you want your best players,” said Booth.
“But having a percentage of injured people is in the nature of what we do. We play an attritional sport.
“We need to make sure we cope as best we can.
“It’s no different from an international window. For us, not a lot has changed in relation to who we have available in that position.
“But, yes, the leadership and the stuff around his position, his effectiveness in that position, is something that’s hard to compensate for. But it also provides an opportunity for other people to put up their hands and grow a little into that role.”
