Gloucester injury blow as Vickery ruled out
Vickery is regarded as one of the best number threes in the game but has been unfortunate with injury.
He missed the entire Six Nations Championship last year and with it England’s Grand Slam triumph, before a successful back operation cleared the way for his involvement in the World Cup.
He was a crucial figure in England’s all-conquering pack but had played only two matches for Gloucester when he was sidelined with a rib injury sustained in the Heineken Cup tie against Bourgoin last month.
“We held out hope that Phil would be fit for this weekend but it wasn’t to be,” said Nigel Melville, Gloucester’s director of rugby, last night.
“He will almost certainly be okay for the return game in Limerick next week when we are also confident of having flankers Andy Hazell and James Forrester available. We didn’t want a recurrence with Phil’s injury if he came back too soon. It’s just the way he plays - he always gives 100%. He does need to put a good run of matches together and that’s why we don’t want to rush him back.”
Melville won’t finally show his hand until noon today but the near certainty is that another World Cup hero, Trevor Woodman, will be at loose head with Andy Deacon, a 6’ 5”, 17 stone giant filling in at number three.
Gloucester also have a problem at hooker where Chris Fortey, the regular incumbent, is ruled out by suspension and Melville says he is undecided about a replacement.
However, strong favourite for the job is Chris Collins, who understudied Fortey against Leicester last week, although Paul Johnstone, a 33 year-old Zimbabwean who joined Gloucester from Bristol, may get the call.
Johnstone, another big man, at 17 stone 3lbs, is by nature a prop but lined out at number two for Bristol in last season’s Heineken Cup.
Alex Brown is assured of his place in the second-row but Melville has been alternating Mark Cornwell and Adam Eustace and it remains to be seen who gets the nod on this occasion.
Skipper Jake Boer from South Africa will lead the pack from a back-row completed by the 35-year-old Samoan Junior Paramore and Peter Buxton.
Duncan McRae and Andy Gomarsall can be pencilled in at half-back along with a three-quarter line of Marcel Garvey, Henry Paul, Robert Todd and James Simpson-Daniel, with Jon Goodridge standing in for long-term injury victim Thinus Delport at full-back.
The whole of Gloucester seems to be keeping its fingers crossed that out-half McRae can push his history with opposite number Ronan O’Gara to the furthest recesses of his mind for the two games against Munster.
He has emerged with no credit from his handling of the incident in which he punched the Irishman during the 2001 Lions tour of Australia, even if he claims to have tried to apologise.
He faced the media yesterday and attempted to talk his way out of a predicament he always felt would come back to haunt him.
“I have made my apologies in public a few times and now want to move forward,” he declared.
“I can’t live my professional life on one incident. I’ve made my bed and must lie in it. I’ve never seen the guy to apologise, mainly because we’ve lived in different hemispheres. When I decided to come here, I knew it was going to come to this moment.”
As he plays down the significance of a controversy that has reared its head again because of the upcoming clashes, McRae can’t really get away from it, something he has to accept.
“Obviously, this is a pivotal game in our year and our European campaign,” he observed. “We have to look after our home games and I am trying to look at it as another week and make it as normal as possible.
“I know there are going to be a few distractions but I am just trying to keep a level head and focus on what we are doing as a team and not let any outside influences come into play.
“I am in a pivotal position and have to keep my head screwed on. All I am doing is focusing on what I have to do for this club to get a win on Saturday.”
Meanwhile, Munster flew from Cork via Shannon to Bristol yesterday without any of the travel difficulties that have bedeviled them in the past.
Although the weather was far from hospitable, they had a light work-out on arrival at their Gloucester headquarters and will again limber up this morning before the kickers, Ronan O’Gara, replacement Jeremy Staunton and new full-back Shaun Payne, pay the usual pre-match visit to the match venue around 5pm, the same time as kick-off for tomorrow’s game.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
