It appears a hamstring injury will deny the Sale Sharks scrum-half the chance of his first Test match start since last season's RBS 6 Nations Championship.

Mike Phillips is on standby to wear the Wales number nine shirt against Italy in Rome on Saturday.

Peel, hurt during Sharks' Guinness Premiership home defeat against Newcastle yesterday, is due to undergo a scan, and Wales team physiotherapist Mark Davies said: "The news thus far is not great.

"Dwayne was unable to travel last night but was expected to travel today. We will make a further assessment later, having had the results of the scan as well.”

There could be an unexpected bench role on Saturday for London Irish fringe player Warren Fury, the 23-year-old who was capped twice during Wales' South Africa tour last summer.

Fury, who is effectively fourth choice scrum-half at Irish, has not featured for his club since their European Challenge Cup victory over Italian minnows Rovigo on January 24.

To compound matters for Wales head coach Warren Gatland, two other scrum-half options - Gareth Cooper and Martin Roberts - are both under an injury cloud.

Gloucester star Cooper, Gatland's first choice during the autumn Tests, has recovered from the knee surgery he underwent last month but continues to be troubled by a groin problem.

Roberts, meanwhile, suffered a rib cartilage injury during the Scarlets' Magners League victory over Edinburgh yesterday and is also being assessed.