Gavin Henson is still waiting for his Toulon bow © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Gavin Henson | Philippe Saint-Andre

Tournaments/Tours: Top 14 Orange

Teams: France | Toulon | Wales

Toulon coach Philippe Saint-Andre has confirmed that no date has been set for Gavin Henson's return to action, with the centre fast running out of time to prove his form and fitness prior to the Rugby World Cup.

The 29-year-old midfielder moved to the high-profile Top 14 side in January after an unsuccessful spell with Saracens, initially as cover for Jonny Wilkinson, but his involvement has been limited by a calf injury.

Henson's switch was motivated by his desire to play in his favoured positions, fly-half or inside-centre, but injury has again put the brakes on his progress. With only five regular-season games remaining, Saint-Andre has admitted that he is unsure of when his high-profile recruit will take the field.

"He had a bad injury when he was with Sarries so he couldn't train until the last 12 days," Saint-Andre told BBC Sport. "But he sprinted a few days ago [on 17 March] and he is due back on rugby training now - full contact sessions.

"He needs to know the system and everything so I am not sure when he will play. He's serious, he's very professional and he's training very hard. He just needs to be free of injury to be on the pitch and that is the important thing for him. He has not had too much game time in the last two years so he needs game time. He was injured for the last two months."

Despite the uncertainty, Saint-Andre believes that Henson can still influence Warren Gatland's World Cup plans, should he get a chance to showcase his wares in Toulon. The coach was tight-lipped on the possibility of the former Osprey's contract being extended beyond the current campaign.

"If he plays... exceptionally for Toulon in our last few games I think he can do it because he is a talented player, after all," he said.

Henson admitted that he had taken longer than expected to recover from his calf injury, branding his time on the sidelines as a 'nightmare'.

"I feel really good," he told www.varmatin.com. "I was injured when I arrived and the recovery has taken far longer than expected. It has been a nightmare.

"But I have finally got to train with my new team-mates and now I really want to play. I hope over the next few days I can build up my training and be a part of the squad for Friday. I feel good mentally and settled in the team even though it is never easy joining a new club during the season."