Scarlets hooker Matthew Rees looks likely to miss this year’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand after he was again left out of Warren Gatland’s warm-up plans.
The captaincy will once again be handed to Blues flanker Sam Warburton for Wales’s clash with England in Cardiff on Saturday.
Regular Wales captain Rees, 30, is out of action with a neck problem that is likely to require surgery.
“He has had an injection, but he is still in a lot of pain," Gatland said. “It looks like he will need an operation sooner, rather than later. We will have to sit down and discuss things with him.”
Former British and Irish Lion Rees captained Wales through last season’s Six Nations tournament and the Autumn internationals series.
Warren Gatland will name his 30-man World Cup squad on August 22.
