Keith Wood will not play for Harlequins in their Powergen Cup semi-final against London Irish this weekend.
The Ireland captain, sidelined since mid-December with torn calf muscle, had hoped to play some part in Saturday’s match but has not even been named on the replacements' bench. Wood must now target the Zurich Premiership match with Newcastle on Saturday week as his comeback date.
The hooker has been back in training since last week, when he resumed running for the first time since December, and he claimed there was a chance he would feature in the semi-final.
However, although his calf is responding well, Wood’s actual fitness has suffered during his spell on the sidelines and Harlequins obviously feel more time is needed.
Wood, who was left out of Ireland's 32-man training squad to meet in Belfast next week, still hopes to return to the international fold in time the Six Nations outing against Italy.