Ireland captain Keith Wood is a major doubt to face Wales in the Lloyds TSB Six Nations Championship opener at Lansdowne Road on February 3rd.
The Harlequins hooker has not played since before Christmas because of a calf injury and had a scan at hospital in Limerick today where Ireland have gathered for a week-long training camp under new head coach Eddie O'Sullivan.
"I am frustrated by this injury, very frustrated," said Wood. "I was hoping to play for 20 minutes with Harlequins last Saturday but that didn't happen. My aim then was to play this weekend but that is highly unlikely at this stage.
"I am not out of the Welsh game, not yet, but I have to play against Northampton the weekend after next. That is only fair for everyone involved with Ireland.
"I don't know yet if that is possible. I have had the scan and I am waiting for the results now.
"In the meantime I have to wait and work on my fitness. I just tore my calf when I went to catch a ball and I overstretched.
"I wasn't able to do anything for the first couple of weeks after that. But I was able to use that fortnight as a rest which should stand to me as the season has been very hectic. All I have done since is some aqua-jogging work in the pool.
"I feel great but I don't know how sharp my fitness is in a match context and I have to test that before I know where I stand with Ireland."
O'Sullivan has other worries with centre Shane Horgan and scrum-half Brian O'Meara missing the training camp through injury.
Both players were injured in Leinster's Heineken Cup defeat in Toulouse at the weekend and the duo will definitely miss the quarter-final against Leicester at Welford Road on Sunday week and the championship opener at Lansdowne Road seven days later.
Horgan has suspected broken ribs and could be out for up to seven weeks while O'Meara suffered medial knee ligament damage.
However, first-choice scrum-half Peter Stringer should be available after reporting a rapid improvement to broken bone in his heel.
PA