Wednesday 24 September 2014 09:55, UK
Wales hooker Ken Owens has undergone a scan to gauge the extent of a neck injury suffered during training.
Owens missed the Scarlets' Guinness PRO12 victory over Treviso four days ago and has since been assessed by the club's medical team and visited a neck specialist.
"We have undergone a thorough process of consultation with specialists over the last few days in regards to Ken's injury, and will decide on the best course of action in the coming days." Scarlets head of performance Andrew Walker said.
Owens is an integral part of Warren Gatland's Wales squad, vying with Richard Hibbard for the No 2 shirt, and he was hurt caught in an awkward position during a scrummaging session.
Coach Wayne Pivac said originally he expected Owens to miss 'two-to-three weeks'.
“He got caught in an awkward position during a scrum session at training and has done a little bit of damage to his neck. It’s certainly not going to be something that puts him out for a lengthy period of time, but he will be out for a few weeks and we will know more when he has seen the specialist," he said after the injury.
“I won’t put a number on it until the specialist sees him, but he certainly won’t be playing in the next two or three weeks. We don’t know if the specialist will suggest him having an operation but, if he does, then I believe it’s not going to be season-ending.”
Any longer injury absence would cast doubt over his availability for the autumn Tests, which start when Wales take on Australia at the Millennium Stadium on November 8.
Their busy, and daunting, international schedule also includes matches against Fiji, New Zealand and South Africa.
