Biarritz v Sale: Andrew Sheridan is unlikely to play again this season after suffering a prolapsed disc in his neck, an injury Sale blame on the England set-up.
The prop has been told to rest for between four and six weeks before having another scan. He has been warned surgery may be needed, which would rule him out for the rest of the season.
"This is devastating news for Andrew as he is desperate to play a part in our push for honours," said the Sale director of rugby Philippe Saint-Andre.
"We are disappointed that he was not sent for a scan immediately he sustained the injury during an England training session in the build-up to last month's match in Ireland. My medical team tell me he should not have faced the Irish. If he had not played in that game, the damage might not be so bad."
Sheridan said he felt a pain in his neck in training three days before the international. "The England medical team felt I would be fine to play," he said. A Twickenham statement said: "Neither the England medical staff or the player identified any significant medical concerns that warranted further investigation or precluded him from playing against Ireland. Andrew took a full part in the game until he was withdrawn with 11 minutes to go for tactical reasons and not because of injury."
Meanwhile, England winger Mark Cueto and club captain Jason Robinson remain doubtful for tomorrow's quarter-final. Both players have travelled to San Sebastian with a 30-strong squad after picking up injuries during the Sharks' 29-21 victory over London Irish at the Madejski Stadium last Saturday.
Biarritz are heavily favoured to reach their third successive semi-final. The teams met in the pool stage two years ago when the French side won both games with an aggregate tally of 46-3.
Guardian Service
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)