Wales lock Dafydd Jenkins looks increasingly unlikely to be fit for the autumn internationals.
The Exeter forward, who captained Wales in last season’s Six Nations, underwent knee and shoulder surgery during the summer.
But while Chiefs’ England centre Henry Slade is on course to return after a shoulder operation in the next month, Jenkins is slightly behind that rate of progress.
“He (Jenkins) is probably the guy who is behind the others – Henry (Slade) and Tommy Wyatt – at getting back in that Premiership Cup period (November 1-22),” Exeter rugby director Rob Baxter said.
“Not because of anything other than he had the two operations – knee and shoulder – and they don’t complement each other massively when you are talking about rehab.
“Each one limits the other a little bit. Having said that, Daf is one of those guys who has always been a great trainer, and he is just the same in rehab.
“If anyone is going to get back soon or on time from an injury, it’s going to be Daf.
“If he can make the tail-end of the Premiership Cup, that would be fantastic, but he is not quite at the level where the other two are.
“The other guys we are expecting to see them in the Premiership Cup period being available, but he may be that little bit behind.”
Wales have lost their last nine Tests and kick off their autumn programme against Fiji on November 10, which is followed by appointments with Australia and South Africa.
England’s autumn opener, meanwhile, sees New Zealand arrive at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on November 2.
On Slade, Baxter added: “He is going very well.
“We have always anticipated Henry being ready around that Premiership Cup period, and that is still likely to be the case.
“He is kind of on schedule to be where we assumed he would be, which is ready for the Premiership Cup/autumn internationals. He can do pretty much everything apart from contact.
“He can run around, he is out doing running on the field and kicking, it’s really building up the strength in his shoulder before he moves into any kind of semi-contact/contact-type scenario in training.”