Wales hooker Elias face Six Nations fitness race

Wales have major Six Nations hooker concerns with Ryan Elias a fitness doubt for the start of the tournament because of a neck injury.

Wales captain and Ospreys hooker Dewi Lake has already been ruled out for most of the tournament because of a bicep injury and there are growing concerns about Elias' fitness.

Elias, 30, has not played for Scarlets since the end of November and will miss the Challenge Cup matches against Gloucester on Friday, 10 January and is set to be absent for the visit of French side Vannes eight days later.

Wales open their Six Nations campaign against France in Paris on Friday, 31 January with head coach Warren Gatland naming his squad next Monday.

Wales have lost 12 successive internationals with the previous Test victory coming against Georgia in October 2023, in the Rugby World Cup.

Lake started Wales' three autumn Test defeats against Fiji, Australia and South Africa in November, with Elias coming on as a replacement.

Cardiff's Evan Lloyd was also in the Wales squad in November, while Dragons hooker Elliot Dee, who has won 51 Wales caps, made his first appearance of the season in the defeat against Cardiff on 26 December after recovering from an ankle problem.

Dee, 30, pulled out of the New Year's Day defeat against Scarlets because of a tight calf, but is expected to be available for the Challenge Cup home match against Pau on Sunday.

"Touch wood he will be good [for Sunday] but we are still monitoring him," said Dragons interim head coach Filo Tiatia.

"Elliot is hungry to go out and play for his club and also loves his country, he is a competitive beast."

Cardiff duo Liam Belcher and Efan Daniel are injured, while team-mate Dafydd Hughes and Dragons front-rower Brodie Coghlan are other options.

One hooker who says he is still available for Wales is Lake's Ospreys team-mate Sam Parry, who left the national training squad in June in controversial circumstances.

Gatland says he did not mean to "disrespect" Parry after the 33-year-old chose to leave the squad before the summer international against South Africa at Twickenham and two-Test tour of Australia.

Parry's decision came after being told by Gatland he was a fringe member of the party when the squad came together and he was only going to be acting cover for Wales' other three hookers.

Gatland claims he was being honest with Parry about where he stood in the Wales pecking order.

Parry, 33, maintained in December that he still has international ambitions.

A more inexperienced option would be Welsh-qualified teenager Kepu Tuipulotu who made his Bath league debut against Northampton this month.

Born in Pontypool, Tuipulotu, 19, is the son of former Dragons centre Sione, the younger brother of Wales women's international prop Sisilia and cousin of Scarlets back-rower Carwyn.

He joined the Bath Academy ahead of the 2024-25 season after previously being at London Irish.

Tuipulotu has captained England Under-18s and is currently expected to be part of the their under-20s side this season.

That would not make him ineligible for Wales, but both England and Tonga will have their eyes on this talent for senior honours.