Leicester Tigers head coach John Wells faces an anxious wait to see if three of his star forwards will return to fitness in time for next weekend's crucial Heineken Cup clash with Leinster.
Loosehead prop Graham Rowntree, second row Ben Kay and flanker Lewis Moody will all miss this weekend's Zurich Premiership tussle with Leeds Tykes. To make matters worse for Wells, doubt remains over the availability of tighthead prop Julian White, who has not played since England's opening Six Nations loss to Wales in early February.
Rowntree, a late withdrawal from the England team that racked up a 43-22 win over Scotland on Saturday, has a strained hip flexor. Kay, who left the field in the 14th minute against the Scots, has a sprained ankle, whilst Moody, who limped off at half-time, has sprained groin and stomach muscles.
Wells said: "Graham's definitely out of this weekend's game, but we won't know the full extent of Ben's injury until later in the week. Lewis seems the most serious of the lot, but yet he doesn't think it's too bad."
"I'm not one to rush my players back as they'll just break down again. I'm not sure if they'll be ready to face Leinster, but we should know more after a week's rest."
White, meanwhile, has been told to resume training this week, but Wells remained in the dark over his eventual availability. Powerhouse White has been struggling with a neck and shoulder injury since the Wales match. "I'm not sure," commented Wells. "I won't know until tomorrow (Tuesday) when Julian returns to training."
Hooker George Chuter (knee) and prop Darren Morris (finger and shoulder) will return to training on Tuesday, but there remains doubt over the availability of try-scoring machine Seru Rabeni, who is still battling with an ongoing knee injury.