British & Irish Lions centre Jonathan Davies faces a race against time to be fit for Wales’ clash with France next Friday, head coach Warren Gatland has revealed.
Davies, one of four players to play every minute of every Test for the British & Irish Lions in Australia last summer, has not featured for Wales since suffering a pectoral injury against South Africa in the autumn.
While Wales were beating Italy on February 1, Davies made his comeback for the Scarlets but he missed his club’s victory over Treviso last Saturday.
Gatland had initially hoped that Davies would be fit to face Ireland last Saturday and while that match came too soon, the New Zealander appeared confident that, with the forthcoming rest week working to his advantage, the 25-year-old would be back in action against Les Bleus.
But Gatland admitted that Davies’ comeback match for the Scarlets had not been as smooth as expected, confirming he needs to show more improvement if he’s to be risked against France.
"He (Davies) has been re-scanned. He is still a little bit sore at the moment," Gatland said.
"We are not too sure at the moment whether he will be available against France. He is still not 100 per cent.
"He played that game for the Scarlets last week and felt a little bit sore, so we are trying to assess him to get up to speed in terms of lifting weights and contact. He is not there at the moment, so he is not available at the moment."
