Lions legend Graham Price reckons Adam Jones is irreplaceable as Wales sweat on the 2009 Lion.
The tight-head prop damaged elbow ligaments in the Ospreys' Heineken Cup loss at London Irish on the weekend and Welsh management are set to hear his RBS 6Nations fate today.
It is feared the devastating scrummager could be sidelined for at least the first three games of the Championship, which kicks-off with Wales versus England on February 4.
And according to Wales and Lions legend Graham Price, the loss of Jones would be a crucial blow to Wales' Championship credentials.
"Adam is the cornerstone of the Welsh pack. You simply can’t replace him," said Price. "He is one of the most important players in the Welsh side and has become one of the best props in the world.
"You could see in the autumn series the Wales scrum was dominant and that was a feature of our play. We were within a chance of showing what we could do in the Six Nations.
Boasting an all Lions front-row, comprising of Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees and Jones, Wales had been confident of their scrum power. But they have already lost Jenkins for the entire tournament and could now be without Jones.
"But just when we thought that things are coming together in that area this happens," added Price.
Adam’s absence would damages our chance, especially against England. They have a good scrum and they showed that during the autumn internationals.
"But that is an area we could have attacked them. If we are missing Adam the scrum goes from being a strength to a weakness.
"We're already missing Gethin Jenkins for his play in the loose and his defence. Adam and Gethin are the perfect partnership because they complement each other.
"Paul James can do a good job of replacing Gethin in the scrum as he showed last year. When Adam is missing you can see that Gethin sometimes looked uncomfortable in the scrum because the pressure was coming across. But Adam takes that pressure off.
"I am not sure what Wales will do if he is not fit. There's nobody else waiting in the wings to take over from Adam. There's nobody knocking on the door and this has always been the same."
