Euan Murray is poised to answer Scotland’s front-row SOS by making a surprise Six Nations comeback against France.
The veteran Lions prop’s short-term chances of adding to his cap tally of 58 had been written off after he suffered a serious hand injury when a team-building exercise went wrong.
Murray almost severed his thumb while chopping wood for a barbecue as his Worcester clubmates looked on in horror.
But the former Glasgow hero has shaken off the effects of the damage much earlier than expected and he returned to English Premiership action against Sale Sharks at the weekend.
Murray, who has also got rid of a hamstring problem, is likely to start in Worcester’s tussle with title-chasing Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop on Saturday.
And if he emerges unscathed, he could figure in Scotland head coach Scott Johnson’s plans for the showdown with the French at Murrayfield seven days later.
Worcester director Dean Ryan who coached the Scots pack in last season’s championship said: “The news about Euan is positive. The healing time for his injury was pretty good.
“He obviously suffered a significant cut and there had been some doubts about the ability of his body to grow back the skin.
“We were without Euan for more than three months and our lack of tight head cover made things difficult for us.”
Scotland also had worries in the No 3 berth during the first half of last Saturday’s dramatic triumph over Italy in Rome.
Glasgow’s Moray Low was substituted after only 36 minutes by Johnson following a spate of scrummage penalties awarded against him by Australian referee Steve Walsh.
Even with a shortage of game-time, Johnson will be tempted to throw Murray straight into the action against France.
Or he could be deployed as an impact sub in the final quarter. Johnson is due to reveal his line-up on Tuesday.