WALES HAVE BEEN dealt another significant injury blow, less than 24 hours after learning that captain Matthew Rees is struggling to be fit for the upcoming World Cup.
Rees has a neck injury and while coach Warren Gatland is hoping surgery could wait until after the tournament, the 30-year-old will know his final faith over the coming days.
In the meantime, attack coach Robert Howley has confirmed that Dwayne Peel is suffering with finger and hip injuries at the moment – telling BBC Sport that the scrum-half “hasn’t done any contact work” to date and is a doubt as a result.
England, for their part, had to prepare for their Test match against Wales in Cardiff without wing Chris Ashton after he rolled his ankle in training during the week and failed a fitness test ahead before kick-off. He is not thought to be at risk of missing out on the trip to New Zealand, however.