Wales are considering picking a new assistant manager after Duncan Jones suffered a “freak injury” in training.
Jones, 47, injured both knees in an accidental collision during live training this week and will undergo surgery on Friday.
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It means head coach Steve Tandy is now without a scrum specialist in the Six Nations, which begins with Wales taking on England on Saturday.
“Oh man, it’s really tough on him, it’s definitely a weird injury,” Tandy said.
“It was just a freak collision, not even a high-impact collision, but he injured both knees.
“It’s a blow for us because Duncan brings so much energy to the team and he’s doing so well.”
Tandy has made Matt Sherratt and Danny Wilson permanent assistants, while Dragons duo Dan Lydiate and Rhys Patchell, like Jones, return to the Wales squad after helping out in defense and kicking respectively during the autumn campaign.
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Wales will assess whether they need to bring in specialist scrum expertise, although former hooker Wilson has previously coached set-pieces.
Tandy admitted the loss of former free agent Jones, who has been Ospreys coach since 2018, was a “distraction” ahead of the tough test at the Allianz Arena.
“I’m disappointed in Duncan because I know what it means to him to coach his country and be part of the team,” he said.
“He was still in camp on Wednesday reviewing scrimmages, even though he wasn’t able to go to the field.
“It’s going to be a distraction, but we have feelings for Duncan because he’s a great character and the players absolutely respect what he does.”
