WILLEM Nel, the Scotland forward, is at risk of missing the entire Six Nations Championship after suffering a recurrence of the neck injury that has already sidelined him for more than two months this season.
The Edinburgh tighthead prop, who has become a key player for Scotland since making his debut in 2015, was named yesterday in Vern Cotter’s 37-man Scotland squad for the tournament. But his inclusion is dependent on the results of a medical assessment he was due to undergo yesterday, and Cotter himself admitted that a doubt over his participation - and concerns over his longer-term fitness - would remain until the full extent of the problem was known. So far, Nel has been publicly diagnosed with nothing more specific than a neck strain.
“WP Nel will be going for a scan later on tonight, so we’ll get an idea whether or not he’s available for the competition,” Cotter said yesterday. “There is a doubt about him following the injury he had this weekend. So we’ll know that.”
Nel’s comeback at the weekend, in Edinburgh’s game against Harlequins, lasted less than half an hour as he took a knock and failed a head-injury assessment. That in any case meant he would need to pass another HIA before being allowed to play again, but Cotter explained that the collision had impacted on the previous problem.
“I think [the head knock] has aggravated the injury he had before,” the coach added. “That’s something that needs to be examined. I can’t comment until the specialists have had a look.
“There was the 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’ll know a lot more when he has done that.”
While Cotter remains hopeful that Nel will take part in the Six Nations, he also accepted that unless and until his condition is fully diagnosed and treated there will be concerns for the 30-year-old’s longer-term future. “I will wait until we have professional advice on it,” he said. “Of course there are concerns. I would like to know more, but there are concerns.”
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