Swansea and Wales centre Mark Taylor is on target to be fit in time for the Whites' Heineken Cup Round 3 match against Bristol Shoguns on December 7.

Taylor has been on the sidelines since suffering a knee injury in the dying moments of Swansea's 51-10 Heineken Cup Round 2 home defeat to Leinster Lions.

"In instances like these it can take up to six to eight weeks to recover," said a club spokesman.

"But his knee is responding well, and we are aiming for him to be ready for the Bristol match on December 7."

Taylor is keeping a positive outlook.

"You have to view it as just another knock and stay positive," said Taylor.

"The good thing is that I know this is not a serious injury, and I have a clear idea when I will be back."

The injury means Taylor will miss the BT Autumn International Series.

"It would have been particularly nice to have opposed the All Blacks, but it was not going to be."

Taylor has suffered with a series of knee problems in recent years. While captaining Wales at the Millennium Stadium against USA in 2000, he sustained ligament damage that kept him out of action for three months.

After last year's Lions tour to Australia, Taylor missed several months after it was discovered he had a hole in the cartilage in his knee, and he aggravated the injury in a pre-season friendly against Bourgoin earlier this year.