Ireland's injury-blighted captain Keith Wood has insisted he still has plenty of rugby left in his battered body.

Wood missed the autumn internationals against Australia, Fiji and Argentina with back and neck problems.

Now a shoulder injury sustained in action for Harlequins on 22 December has required surgery and the inspirational Ireland and Lions hooker faces a further eight weeks on the sidelines.

That rules him out of games against Scotland and Italy next month and also makes him doubtful for the visit of France to Dublin on 8 March.

The latest catalogue of injuries have prompted fears Wood may never regain the level of fitness required in top-flight rugby.

Being fully fit for the World Cup is very much in my thoughts Keith Wood

But the 31-year-old said: "Of course my season has been cursed by injury after injury and I can understand people thinking my career must be finished.

"But why think of stopping now?

"I always insisted I would know when the time had come.

"Obviously being fully fit for the World Cup is very much in my thoughts but I'm still looking at the last few games in the Six Nations.

"Naturally, I would like to play against England. I keep in regular contact with Eddie O'Sullivan, the Irish coach and feel very much involved in the Irish set-up.

Eddie O'Sullivan: In close contact with Wood

"I'm not too despondent because the operation went well.

"All the mess in there was cleaned up and there was no need for any structural work.

"It could have been a lot worse because if the tendons were damaged, it could have been the end".

Wood added that the shoulder problem was probably related to a similar injury that sidelined him during the mid-1990s.

"There has been a lot of wear and tear in the meantime," Wood said.

"I went on for 20 minutes in the Harlequins game against Leeds on 22 December and had hardly been out there when I got an awful knock on the shoulder.

I will now do my eight weeks of rehab Keith Wood

"I knew straight away that something was wrong."

Despite that, his short time in action for Quins had a great effect on Wood.

"I just loved every minute of it. I had a great time out there and didn't realise until then how much I was missing the game.

"But the days are long gone when I would rush back from injury.

"I will now do my eight weeks of rehab and then get back to playing".