Wales coach Mike Ruddock is resigned to possibly doing without suspended centre Gavin Henson throughout the Six Nations championship.
Henson, handed a 10-week ban last night for deliberately elbowing an opponent in a Heineken Cup match, will miss the first three tournament games for the grand slam champions in February.
The Lions centre, who has already missed most of the season so far with a groin injury, is suspended until March 5th and could struggle for match fitness for the remaining two internationals against Italy and France.
"It's very unfortunate for him because we all want him to focus his energies on playing some really good rugby for the Ospreys," Ruddock told BBC Sport.
"He's been out for a long time and some continuity in his game would have been just what he and Welsh rugby needed.
"A lack of rugby could create severe difficulties, but these are professional rugby players now...so I'm not committing to anything other than to say 'let's see how things are at that time'," he added.
Ruddock was unhappy with the length of Henson's suspension for elbowing Leicester prop Alejandro Moreno, breaking the Argentine's nose, in the match in Swansea last Sunday.
"It seems to be a very long ban given the circumstances, but there are always different ways to view these things.
"This disappointing news brings home to everyone the importance of discipline."