Gatland could be without a host of stars for Wales’ opener against Ireland on February 5 but he will welcome Phillips for the first three days of the training camp in Spala where they will once again use ice chambers to boost fitness.

Phillips must be back in France for Bayonne's Top 14 match against Toulon on January 25 or 26 while Clermont Auvergne have also agreed to let full-back Lee Byrne attend between 23 and 25 January.

"There is no problem for the club to allow Mike Phillips to go to the training camp," said Bayonne spokesman Nicolas Bridoux.

"The only thing that we want is that he will play versus Toulon – we don't have the date of the game.

"But he is free to go to Poland for the training camp."

And Clermont were equally agreeable in releasing Byrne.

"The decision is quite straightforward. We will release Lee if he is selected for the training camp in Poland on the 23, 24 and 25 of January," said spokesman Neil McIlroy.

"He should then come back to us on Thursday 26. We do have a league game that weekend [against Bordeaux-Begles].

"To say we are happy. I don't have to go that far. We have a similar obligation with the French players as well and the Italians. That's just life unfortunately. We will just have to work around about that.”