Gloucester suffer Mcguigan blow
GLOUCESTER will head to Leicester on Friday night short of hookers as the Gallagher Premiership returns after first-choice George Mcguigan suffered a leg injury in last weekend’s Premiership Rugby Cup final win.
The Cherry and Whites beat Leicester 23-13 to claim their first silverware in nine years, with Mcguigan prominent in the victory, but his winner’s medal was costly having already had surgery on the leg injury he suffered which will likely end his season with the recovery and rehabilitation time estimated to be around two months.
Gloucester director of rugby George Skivington said: “George isn’t in a great spot.
“He has had to have surgery on his leg so he will be out for a couple of months at least.
“That is probably his season over. You never know we might be able to get him back, but it is really unfortunate for George because he has been one of our best players for the last couple of months.
“He had kind of found his groove in the Gloucester jersey and found his place in the team - it is very harsh and unfortunate.”
Academy product Seb Blake, named in the England A squad back in January but without making the matchday 23 against Portugal, is ready to start but Gloucester find themselves short of experienced operators with Argentina international Santiago Socino on the verge of recovering from a knee injury that has plagued him this season.
England international Jack Singleton is on a seasonlong loan at French Top 14 side Toulon but Skivington confirmed the terms of the agreement do not include the opportunity to recall him.
Skivington said: “Seb Blake is available and playing
well, Santi isn’t a million miles off being fit. It is a bit of a challenge because George is a high-pedigree hooker. We have got some young guys who will get us through but it is not how I would want it. We will get through it.”
THREE Gloucester players have been named in the 26-player England Under-18 squad to travel to Parma, Italy for the Six Nations Rugby Festival.
Head coach and former Gloucester forward Jonathan Pendlebury has picked Olly Allport, a product of Dean Close School and Stow RFC, Jonno Balding and Cherry and Whites’ Under-18s skipper Solomon Shand.
England face Wales on March 30, Scotland on April 3 and Georgia on April 7.