Big Ben chimes in with comeback try
HE MAY have picked up a swollen right cheek and a bloody lip, but Ben Morgan still managed to negotiate his return from injury with a smile.
And a good job, too, because Eddie Jones isn’t exactly spoiled for choices currently at No.8, as injuries stymie England’s back row options.
Morgan, who suffered a calf injury in the opening match of the season, scored for Gloucester in this ninetry pulverizing of Agen before being replaced after 48 minutes.
But Gloucester head coach Johan Ackermann believes Morgan is still a significant way off being truly match fit for club or country.
“Ben only trained with the team for the first time this week, and he’d be the first to say that the pace of that game was not that high. It will be two or three games before his match fitness is back.
“Ben gave a steady performance and was quite physical in the contact situation. Match fitness will come as games progress.”
After their bonus-point loss to Pau in the opening round, Gloucester were never anything other than in complete control against an inexperienced Agen side that looked all at sea in the swirling West Country rain.
Gloucester were given licence to gain too many easy yards, and the Agen pack found no way of containing the home scrum. Repeated penalties in the French front row eventually saw Meddih Ahaouche despatched to the sin-bin.
Gloucester scored out wide, they scored through the middle, and Billy Burns’ boot added six conversions, ensuring the Cherry and Whites extended their run of pool match home wins in the Challenge Cup to 14.
Morgan was quickly in the thick of things, feeding the hot-stepping Ben Vellacott from a driving maul with a pass that enabled the scrum-half to dance his way over for a try just four minutes into his starting debut.
Hugo Verdu thumped over a monster penalty for Agen but a spilt ball in their own 22 opened the door for Henry Trinder to ease over down the left wing.
A cricket score looked a distinct possibility when a Gloucester maul threatened to march the Agen pack not only out of Gloucestershire but back across the Channel. The momentum gave Morgan an opening through which he muscled over, but he then spent seven minutes off with a bust lip.
Agen rallied briefly as Verdu slotted two more penalties, but the bonus point was Gloucester’s before half time when Tom Savage rounded off a succession of strong carries to smash over.
Slick handling and speed aplenty gave Henry Purdy and Owen Williams tries soon after the break and Vellacott pounced to score his second, before replacement Richard Hibbard burrowed over for Gloucester’s eighth.
Branden Holder scored a breakaway consolation before Jake Polledri capitalised on another demolition job by the home scrum to take Gloucester’s tally north of 60.
Gloucester’s only worry was a leg problem for fullback Jason Woodward, who went down awkwardly in a second-half tackle.
“Jason struggles a bit with his hamstring, and we will re-assess it on Monday,” said Ackermann.