Wood to miss Six Nations after surgery on shoulder

Keith Wood has not been seen in the green of Ireland since the national team played a World Cup qualifier in Siberia almost four months ago, and the celebrated hooker's many supporters could be forgiven for wondering if he ever returned from that notorious corner of the planet. Certainly, they do not expect to clap eyes on his bald pate until the summer, by which time the 2003 Six Nations will be long gone.

Wood, capped 51 times by his country and a central figure in the last two tours by the British and Irish Lions, underwent exploratory surgery on a troublesome shoulder joint at the weekend and will not be re-assessed by his specialist for another three weeks. According to his club, Harlequins, he will not train in anger until early March. As he would need at least three meaningful matches before making any sort of claim for international selection, only the final Six Nations fixture against England in Dublin is within his reach. Even then, his reach is likely to exceed his grasp.

This is fairly grim news for the Irish selectors, who will almost certainly ask Brian O'Driscoll, the outstanding Leinster centre, to continue in the captaincy role he first took on during the successful autumn Test programme. In one sense, though, Wood's continuing injury hassles can be viewed in a positive light. Assuming he makes the World Cup in Australia in October – and there is nothing to suggest he will not – he will arrive at the tournament as well rested as any thirtysomething forward around. And a fit, hungry, motivated Wood would be of incalculable benefit to Ireland in their efforts to progress from a group featuring both the Wallabies and Argentina.

Meanwhile, the uncapped Bath wing Simon Danielli has an outside chance of beginning his international career during the Six Nations after being named in Scotland's 35-man training squad. There is nothing terribly Scottish about the 23-year-old Oxford graduate – his parents happened to be on holiday in Edinburgh when he was born – but after winning England honours at schools, students and Under-21 levels, he declared himself ready and willing to accept any invitation that might come his way from north of the border.

Danielli described his call-up as "a massive surprise", but Brian Smith, the former Wallaby who coaches him at Bath, believes it to be entirely justified. "It is a recognition of his athletic ability and the development of his game over the course of the season, during which he has made a real fist of competing for a place with the likes of Iain Balshaw, Matt Perry and Tom Voyce," Smith said.

Intriguingly, the Scotland coach Ian McGeechan has included the Melrose hooker Scott Lawson among his 21-strong group of forwards – the only player drawn from outside the full-time professional ranks. Lawson has little chance of making the cut: there are three other hookers in the squad, including the Lions tourist Gordon Bulloch. But McGeechan clearly thinks the newcomer has a serious future ahead of him, and it will be surprising indeed if there is no offer of a contract from one of the country's three super-clubs for next season.

One of Scotland's most influential players, the open-side flanker Budge Pountney, will miss Northampton's important Heineken Cup pool match with Biarritz on Saturday because of a groin problem. With their first-choice blind-side specialist, Andrew Blowers, also among the crocks, Grant Seely and Mark Soden, two No 8s by instinct, will be asked to make do and mend on the edges of the scrum.

Wayne Smith, the Northampton coach, confessed that this arrangement was far from ideal – "The odds are stacked against us; we are the few, taking on the might of France," he said, grandiloquently – but the problem is counterbalanced by the return of three heavy hitters: the wing Ben Cohen, the scrum-half Matthew Dawson and the loose forward Mark Connors.