Concern is growing over the prospects of two of Scotland�s key forwards being fit to face Wales in Sunday�s Six Nations Championship opener at Murrayfield.

Concern is growing over the prospects of two of Scotland's key forwards being fit to face Wales in Sunday's Six Nations Championship opener at Murrayfield after Nathan Hines and Euan Murray failed to take part in training yesterday.

The two would be among the first names on the team sheet but have been nursing injuries.

Hines has not played for around a month because of a knee injury, raising concern that even if he is passed physically fit there could be questions over his match fitness.

Murray was sidelined at the weekend after picking up a rib injury the previous week. As Chris Paterson recently discovered, rib problems are notoriously difficult to assess in terms of recovery time.

It did, however, seem significant that Moray Low, the Glasgow Warriors tighthead prop who was among a quintet of players called up to supplement the squad for training last week, has been kept in the camp.

Murray and Hines were described as continuing their rehabilitation yesterday, so did not train with the rest of the squad at Murrayfield, with James Robson, the team doctor, saying their progress would continue to be monitored on a daily basis.

That makes it something of a bonus that the Scots will be the last in action, starting their campaign with the visit of last year's grand slam winners on Sunday rather than Saturday, so giving the medics an extra day to work on the pair.

Those who did play club rugby in England and France at the weekend - Ally Dickinson, Scott Gray, Sean Lamont, Rory Lawson, Al Strokosch, Simon Taylor and Jason White - seem to have come through unscathed, since all other squad members completed yesterday's work-out according to the official bulletin.

The latest industrial relations troubles in France also worked to Scotland's advantage since resultant travel difficulties meant Chris Cusiter was unable to join up with his Perpignan team-mates in time to play at the weekend.

Cusiter was effectively told he will be under-study to Scotland captain Mike Blair on Sunday when Lawson was released from the national squad to re-join his club. Ruaridh Jackson, the Glasgow Warriors youngster, was similarly released yesterday.