Hines, who has 38 caps to his name, will undergo surgery on the offending limb on Tuesday.

Incredibly, the Australian-born bruiser completed the full 80 minutes unaware of the seriousness of the injury.

"Scans showed fractures to the metacarpal bones of Nathan's left foot," said a Perpignan spokesman.

"After the operation he is expected to be out of rugby for at least five weeks."

That time-frame encompasses Scotland's Six Nations opener, the defence of the Calcutta Cup against England at Twickenham on February 3, and leaves Hines precious little time to ready himself for the remaining fixtures.

The news from France will weigh heavily on the mind of Scotland coach Frank Hadden; Jason White, Chris Cusiter and Craig Smith are out of action for the rest of the season, whilst Rob Dewey and Scott MacLeod are just two members of an ever-growing list of long-term casualties.