WP Nel’s career could be on the line in the next 24 hours as the Scotland prop awaits another scan on a neck injury that seems set to force him to miss the RBS Six Nations and the rest of the season.
The South African-born tight head – touted as a potential British and Irish Lions tourist this summer after his performances last season – suffered an aggravation of a longstanding neck injury after less than half an hour of his comeback game for Edinburgh against Harlequins on Saturday.
Nel had previously taken a three-month break to rest the injury which flared prior to the Autumn Internationals and caused him to miss that campaign.
It was believed that rest period was taken to instead of surgery, but if the problem has risen again in his first game back it would seem an operation would be unavoidable – a threat to the player’s career as well as a big money deal in France or England when his Edinburgh contract finishes this summer.
Nel has been included in the Scotland squad for the Six Nations named yesterday by Vern Cotter, but the head coach did not sound optimistic of his chances. The uncapped Edinburgh backup No 3 Simon Berghan, who has played just a handful of games for the club, is in the squad as cover.
“He’s the next cab off the rank if WP doesn’t pass,” said Cotter, with untypical frankness.
“I think (Nel) has aggravated the injury he had before. That’s something that needs to be examined. I can’t comment specifically until the specialists have had a look.
“There was a concussion protocol but they have been looking at the images and there are concerns among the medical staff. The doc wants to have a closer look with the specialists and we will know a lot more when he has done that.”
Scotland are already short of front row cover with Alasdair Dickinson – the other prop in Scotland’s dominant scrummage last season – already ruled out for at least the first half of the championship with a fracture in his foot.
Newcastle’s Jon Welsh has been recalled having been left out since the Rugby World Cup campaign of 2015. Gloucester’s Matt Scott and Duncan Weir of Edinburgh have also won recalls for Cotter’s final Six Nations before he leaves in the summer.