Williams could be fit to face England

WALES’ record international try-scorer Shane Williams could be fit for the RBS 6 Nations opener against England in Cardiff on February 4.

The Ospreys wing has been sidelined since dislocating his shoulder during Wales’ home loss to world champions South Africa last month.

He subsequently underwent surgery and was ruled out for an initial period of 10-12 weeks, suggesting he would struggle to make both the England game and Wales’ Murrayfield appointment with Scotland eight days later.

But the Ospreys say there is a chance that former world player of the year Williams, who has scored 51 tries in 75 Tests for his country, might feature ahead of the Six Nations.

Ospreys conclude their Heineken Cup pool campaign against Jonny Wilkinson’s Toulon on January 22, which is a possible comeback game for the 33-year-old.

And that would be music to the ears of Warren Gatland.

The Wales coach had already lost teenage Scarlets wing sensation George North — another shoulder injury victim — from his early Six Nations plans.

“Shane is five weeks post-op and is coming along well,” said Ospreys physiotherapist Chris Towers.

“He is working hard and doing two or three sessions per day, so we are rehabbing him as hard as we can.

“He’s making good progress and we aren’t ruling out a possible return for the Toulon game, which is in line with our original best case scenario, although he still has some way to go yet.”

The Ospreys are in a three-way fight with Toulon and Munster to secure top spot in Pool Three of this season’s Heineken Cup, and an automatic quarter-final place.

Gatland, meanwhile, would eagerly welcome a fully fit Williams back to the fold.

Wales lost much of their attacking edge after he went off at half-time in the Springboks Test, and a potential Millennium Stadium battle opposite England try machine Chris Ashton could prove one of this season’s Six Nations highlights.

Meanwhile, Ospreys’ Magners League derby clash with the Scarlets will now be played today at 4.10pm, following a late postponement yesterday due to frozen pipes at the Liberty Stadium.

The match looked certain to go ahead thanks to the undersoil heating at the ground. But the game was called off because of health and safety issues, with frozen pipes in three of the four stands causing a lack of running water.

The other Welsh Magners League derby clash, between Newport Gwent Dragons and Cardiff Blues scheduled this afternoon, has also bitten the dust due to a frozen pitch at Rodney Parade.

The Dragons had been hopeful of staging the match and had appealed to fans to help clear snow off the pitch today, but temperatures dropping as low as -11 made the task impossible.

The Scottish derby clash between Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh at Firhill (5.35pm) is set to go ahead.

The Warriors lost 36-10 to four-time European champions Toulouse in France on Tuesday in a twice-postponed Heineken Cup game, but head coach Sean Lineen has resisted making changes for the first bout of a double-header between Scotland’s two professional sides — the return at Murrayfield takes place on January 2.